e-Scooters

You can report e-Scooter issues directly to the operator. They will act quickly on your feedback and are also required to report all community concerns and messages to the City of Launceston monthly.

To send your feedback or to report an e-Scooter issue to the City of Launceston, please email: Contactus@launceston.tas.gov.au

Please include your name, a contact phone number, and let us know if you give permission to pass on your details to the current provider listed below. 

Alternatively, you can contact Beam directly.

In late 2021, the State Government introduced regulatory changes legalising the use of micromobility devices, like electric scooters, in Tasmania.

The regulatory changes mean anyone 16 years of age or older can use an e-Scooter in Tasmania as long as they wear a helmet and comply with all of the road rules, including speed limits.

Both privately owned e-Scooters and ride share e-scooters can now be legally ridden on most footpaths, cycling trails and many local roads in Tasmania.

In anticipation of this legislative change, The City of Hobart and The City of Launceston invited expressions of interest from potential e-Scooter hire operators for a 12-month trial of ride share e-scooters.

The trial did not encompass privately owned e-Scooters.

The trial enabled the councils to have some level of control over which hire and ride providers initially enter the e-scooter rental market and to collect data on use times, travel patterns, parking and incidents to further manage the regulation of micromobility devices in the future.

The 12-month trial, originally due to conclude in December 2022 was extended to March 2023 as The City of Launceston and The City of Hobart collated usage data and public feedback in final reports considered by elected representatives. 

Download the City of Launceston e-Scooter Trial Evaluation Report(PDF, 15MB)   

e-Scooters are prohibited in the central Launceston CBD and in some key parks and trails which are signposted. The Beam app contains details on exclusions in Launceston and inbuilt GPS based geofencing technology prevents e-Scooters from being ridden in the area. The central Launceston CBD area includes George Street (York to Cameron Street), St John Street (Paterson to York Street), Charles Street (Paterson to York Street), Civic Square, The Brisbane Street Mall, The Avenue and the Quadrant Mall.

E-Scooters, or electric scooters, are a lightweight electric powered vehicle that are used in many parts of the world as a 'last mile' commuting transport option, and as a tourism transport option. They are variously known as Personal Electric Vehicles, micromobility devices or (under most Australian legislation) Personal Mobility Devices (PMDs).

In mid-2020, e-Scooter providers Neuron Mobillity and Beam approached the State Government and Tasmanian Local Governments seeking to commence operation in a number of Tasmanian cities.

The State Government has been supportive of enabling e-Scooter providers to operate in Tasmania.

In December 2021, the State Government introduced regulatory changes legalising the use of micromobility devices, like electric scooters, in Tasmania.

The introduction of micromobility transport options aligns strategically with the Greater Launceston Transport Vision and Work Plan and the Draft Launceston Transport Strategy.

E-Scooters provide residents and tourists with more convenient transport options, while reducing emissions, congestion, and demand for car parking.

The Tasmanian Government has introduced a regulatory framework which allows anyone 16 years of age or older to ride a PMD, if they are wearing a helmet and following all road rules, including speed limits.

E-Scooters will be able to be used at defined speed limits on most local roads, footpaths, shared paths and bicycle paths. They will not be able to be used on any road with a speed limit above 50 km/h.

The City of Launceston has required ride share operators to demonstrate the geofencing capabilities of their systems. Geofencing is used to prevent the operation of e-Scooters, or limit their speed, in certain locations.

It can temporarily allow or disallow e-Scooters, for instance during certain events, or near nightclubs and bars on certain nights of the week.

Exclusions

e-Scooters are prohibited in the central Launceston CBD and in some key parks and trails which are signposted. The Beam app contains details on exclusions in Launceston and inbuilt GPS based geofencing technology prevents e-Scooters from being ridden in the area. The central Launceston CBD area includes George Street (York to Cameron Street), St John Street (Paterson to York Street), Charles Street (Paterson to York Street), Civic Square, The Brisbane Street Mall, The Avenue and the Quadrant Mall.

Geofencing means the ability to use a GPS locator to control where and at what speed a device can operate by limiting or stopping it if it strays outside defined geographical boundaries.

The City of Launceston has required ride share operators to demonstrate how they will encourage responsible riding.

Their methods include training periods for new e-scooter riders, which would limit the speed and power of e-Scooters for a defined period; the completion of an online safety tutorial and technology and incentives designed to strongly encourage helmets.

E-Scooters may soon be fitted with safety innovations such as AI-based pedestrian identification.

They are already fitted with dangerous rider behaviour detection, which creates app-based rider alerts, fines and customer bans to promote respectful e-Scooter etiquette and riding.

The City of Launceston has completed the roll-out of 38 dedicated e-Scooter parking bays across the CBD, designed to encourage safe and responsible parking of rental e-Scooters.

Rental e-Scooter riders in Launceston will only be able to end a hire trip and stop the hire fee from continuing to tick over, by parking in a designated bay.

The roll-out of dedicated e-Scooter parking bays was a recommendation from the Council's e-Scooter Trial Evaluation Report, which was endorsed in February, and which examined data from the trial introduction of e-Scooters in Launceston between December 2021 and December 2022.

With the roll-out complete, rental e-Scooter provider Beam has now geo-located the zones for use within Beam's smartphone app.

The new CBD parking zones will ensure that parking a rental e-Scooter responsibly in central Launceston is convenient, simple and safe, and will also reduce instances of e-Scooters being parked inconsiderately on footpaths or in front of businesses.

Incorrectly parked e-Scooters, or e-Scooters that have been knocked over will be detected by on-board sensors and retrieved by the vendors’ field support technicians.

Ride share operators have had to demonstrate their plans to collect, charge and monitor their e-Scooter fleets.

Their methods include regular cleaning and sanitising, regular collection and charging, and regular redistribution of e-Scooters to high use areas or proper parking locations.

On-board technology assists operators to ensure that e-Scooters are safe and ready to ride.