Canberra’s e-scooter share scheme will be expanded to Woden and Gungahlin from 9 September.
In addition, the Belconnen operation area will be extended to include Kaleen, and the central Canberra area will be extended to include Lyneham and North Watson.
Black Mountain Peninsula, additional areas of Yarralumla including Weston Park, the suburb of Weston, and the Mitchell business district will also be added.
“E-scooters have been incredibly popular, with more than 2.1 million trips since they were first trialled here in Canberra in 2020,” said Chris Steel, ACT Minister for Transport and City Services.
“This expansion responds to the desire expressed by Canberrans in other communities for the e-scooters to operate and connect with their area.
“This expansion will provide more people with new transport options whether it is for short trips in their neighbourhood, connecting with public transport or commuting to work.
“It will now be possible for Canberrans to ride an e-scooter from north to south with key safe routes determined with geo-fencing technology.
“The scheme has also been expanded to cover the parliamentary triangle, promoting access to our national institutions and attractions.”
Beam and Neuron Mobility, the two providers, will host ‘come and try’ engagements in the new areas.
These pop-ups will provide an opportunity to for people to get familiar with the details of the expansion in their region and learn how to safely operate an e-scooter.
“With over 50% of Beam riders in Canberra relying on e-scooters for their work and study commutes, we are excited to offer an alternative mode of transport to more Canberrans,” said Tom Cooper, Beam’s general manager Australia and New Zealand.
“Our flagship rider education and enforcement program, the Beam Safe Academy, will be in place as we expand our operations into new areas, including in-app rider education on riding, parking and the riding rules, in-person training courses and Safety Ambassadors on the streets to enforce safe riding.”
“E-scooters are a fantastic way to travel around Canberra,” said Richard Hannah, Neuron Mobility’s head of Australia and New Zealand. “The expanded riding area will encourage more people to ditch their cars and choose a sustainable form of transport as part of their daily commute.
“As we expand, safety remains our top priority. We encourage new and existing riders to visit our ScootSafe pop-up events from September 9 and try our digital education platform, ScootSafe Academy, to learn how to use our e-scooters in a safe and responsible way.”
Once the expanded areas are operational, the ACT Government will seek feedback from the community on the implementation of the scheme to meet local needs.
The expansion of the shared e-scooter scheme follows significant community consultation, a review, and the passage of legislation supporting the safe use of e-scooters.
