The City of Perth’s very first E-scooter Share Scheme (ESS) trial will start this Saturday.
Members of the public will be able to hire e-scooters from more than 80 sites across the City.
Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas announced the two-year trial this morning and said it was great to be offering another mode of transport in the City.
“We keep sustainability front-of-mind in everything we do at the City of Perth, having an e-scooter share scheme will allow for our visitors, residents and workers to opt for a more environmentally-friendly transport alternative to get around the City streets,” Mr Zempilas said.
After a successful tender process, the City has selected two e-scooter providers for the trial, Bird and Neuron Mobility (Australia).
“Having two competing companies as part of the scheme will ensure e-scooter users within the City are getting the best value for money,” Mr Zempilas said.
Both brands of e-scooters are fitted with geofencing technology, keeping the devices within the City of Perth local government area. The same technology will also stop the devices from being used in the Murray and Hay Street malls and Forrest Place.
And unlike other e-scooter trials in other major Australian cities, e-scooters in the Perth trial will have an additional safety feature to keep e-scooters parked where they belong.
“Riders in the City will have to return their e-scooters to one of our designated parking spots, riders will not be able to end their trip outside of these locations,” Mr Zempilas said.
“This will make finding an e-scooter easier for riders and will also ensure e-scooters are less likely to be parked in locations that impact pedestrians.
“So riders are encouraged to download the provider’s app and plan their journey before they ride off, so they can park responsibly at the end of their trip.”
In WA, the government regulated speed for e-scooters is 25 km/h. Within the City, e-scooters will be able to travel at up to 25 km/h on roads and 10 km/h on footpaths.
E-scooters won’t be permitted on roads where the speed limit for vehicles exceeds 50 km/h.
A full list of rules is available on the City of Perth website. https://perth.wa.gov.au/live-and-work/community-services-and-facilities/e-scooter-trial
E-scooters will be available for hire from Saturday, 18 March for people over the age of 16.
The trial will run for two years, after which the City will evaluate the success of the scheme.
Neuron has already been running an e-scooter trial in the City of Stirling. And while popular in the USA and Europe, the City of Perth trial will be the first major Australian city launch for Bird.
