A Beam e-scooter parked on a Mackay street, Queensland. Picture: ANDREW KACIMAIWAI
THE ACT Government has joined other cities as it bans Beam e-scooters from Canberra streets over concerns staff had manipulated data.
All Beam e-scooters in Canberra were to be deactivated by midnight on Sunday, September 8, and removed from public areas by 4pm this Friday (September 13).
“Last month staff at Transport Canberra and City Services received information alleging Beam was acting outside of their permit conditions to operate by manipulating data,” says Ben McHugh, the Deputy Director-General of Transport Canberra and City Services.
“We believe Beam has failed to meet the expectations of the Canberra community under their permit to operate and therefore we will not be renewing their permit to operate.”
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In a press statement, he says Beam had been allowed to operate 950 e-scooters across Canberra, including specific numbers (caps) in different regions.
“To ensure compliance with the caps, we monitor e-scooter deployment numbers through a platform called Ride Report which is used across Australia and in other countries including New Zealand,” Mr McHugh says.
Auckland, Townsville and Melbourne have already banned these e-scooters.
“Our investigation included correspondence with Beam, field audit inspections and liaison with City Software Solutions who is the company that runs Ride Report. We also liaised with other jurisdictions in Australia and New Zealand in forming our decision.”
Mr McHugh said the ACT Government is still committed to supporting e-scooters as a means of encouraging more active forms of travel with shared e-scooters still available across our city.
“While this matter is very disappointing, there is clearly a market for e-scooters as part of Canberra’s transport mix,” he says.
“We want to continue to support more sustainable modes of transport which reduce car use. We will be undertaking an expression of interest to secure providers for the longer term.”
