Canberra's e-scooter expansion to outer suburbs backed by Neuron Mobility and Beam Mobility

It comes after the Legislative Assembly on June 22 passed Labor backbencher Michael Pettersson's motion to expand the scheme to outer suburbs, particularly Gungahlin and Mitchell, nearly one year after the government introduced it.

The shared scheme is being run by Beam Mobility and Neuron Mobility - the former being purple and the latter being orange.

Beam's General Manager Tom Cooper said the company would welcome the chance to expand its fleet as "we have seen a huge demand for our e-scooters in Canberra".

"Our data shows e-scooters are increasingly being relied upon as a sole method of travel, as well as part of a multi-modal journey - for example, incorporating buses or trains," Mr Cooper said.

"Canberrans have overwhelmingly taken to micro-mobility and e-vehicles and we would welcome the opportunity to bring more Beams to the city."

Asked about the costs implications of geographical expansion, Mr Cooper said the implications were only positive ones as they were confident in their ability to meet Canberrans' demand of e-scooters.

"Every scooter Beam deploys has been profitable and covers the cost of the vehicle, all repair and charging labour costs and any data or service costs required for operating the vehicle," he said.

"Whilst expansion will naturally increase our operating costs due to the increase in fleet numbers resulting in increased maintenance and marshalling needs, we expect strong increase in demand from the expansion and for the expansion to be profitable for Beam."

The latest Beam data shows that more than 50 per cent of regular riders use its e-scooters for everyday activities, including commuting to work and running errands.

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A Neuron spokesperson said they would support the government's expansion as a recent survey by the company showed that 55 per cent of respondents said a larger operating area would improve the service.

"Neuron's riders in Canberra have travelled close to 1.5 million kilometres on e-scooters since launching in September 2020," the spokesperson said.

"Of these trips, 42 per cent have replaced car journeys resulting in an estimated 94 tonnes of Co2 savings.

"The people of Canberra are embracing e-scooters as a more environmentally-friendly and convenient alternative to cars.

"Local businesses have seen significant benefits as well."

A recent research between Neuron and Griffith University showed that tourists who use e-scooters visit more attractions and spend more money, making them an attractive value add for cities.

The researchers found that avid e-scooter users, categorised as being the top third by kilometres travelled) would spend 42 per cent more per day than those in the bottom third.

A recent government survey showed that two-thirds of respondents supported the scheme's expansion, including about 80 per cent among people living in Gungahlin.

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