Busselton City Council has announced that it will be extending the trial of hireable e-scooters in the city until November, taking into consideration community feedback from the trial’s first 12 months.
An extensive community survey attracting 1,226 responses was conducted throughout December and January, with 62.4 per cent of local residents indicating they did not support the continuation of supplier Neuron’s hireable e-scooter offering due to concerns relating to parking, helmet litter, abandoned e-scooters, rider behaviour and speed on dual use paths.
Councillors were keen to take community feedback on board and acknowledged the concerns raised by the community when making their decision.
Mayor Phill Cronin said that the trial was a really good opportunity to see how hireable e-scooters can work within the unique coastal city, but it was clear that many people surveyed felt there were significant issues with their operation.
“The supplier, Neuron, offered to make some improvements to mitigate community concerns reported through the survey and this information assisted Council to decide to extend the trial until November, subject to improvements,” Mayor Cronin said.
Mayor Cronin also said that the city will be monitoring these changes closely over the next few months.
“Council acknowledges the benefits that hireable e-scooters can bring to the community, but this will require better management to prevent the issues that the community has experienced during the original 12 month trial.”
Data provided by Neuron in February 2024 shows that from commencement of the trial in December 2022 until February 2024, 133,004 trips were taken on Neuron’s e-scooters covering 430,010km. Of the people hiring them, 35,269 were unique hirers, 57 per cent were local to Busselton and Dunsborough, 30 per cent were visitors from Perth and 13 per cent from other locations.
Improvements will include designated parking areas that do not block thoroughfares and are not a visual nuisance and slower speed restrictions for single use, narrow paths adjacent to the coast.
While the Neuron hireable e-scooter trial has been extended until November 2024, it should be noted that Council does not control privately owned e-scooters and that these riders are subject to the various road rules already in place.
Featured image: Parked e-scooters on a path in Busselton. Image credit: Busselton City Council.
