Beam commences shared e-scooter operations in Stirling

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[25 January 2024] Australia’s largest micromobility company Beam will bring its brand of community-first micromobility to the City of Stirling from today.

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Beam is also Western Australia’s largest shared micromobility operator, with 500 Beam e-scooters already across metro Perth, and a presence in several of the state’s regional cities.

190 e-scooters and 60 seated e-scooters will be introduced to Stirling today and be available for hire 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, accessible via downloading the Beam app and scanning the QR code on the e-scooters.

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The app-based service will feature affordable pay-as-you-go rates ($1 to unlock and from $0.45 per minute to ride) and ‘virtual docking’ to protect city amenity.

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Over 50 new parking spots have been added to the operating area, allowing riders to access more of the city.

Beam’s ‘Beam Safe Academy’, the company’s major safety education and enforcement program, will be in place to educate riders on local riding rules and safe handling of e-scooters. The program includes:

• A pre-trip in-app safety briefing for every rider, featuring instructions on how to park and ride safely
• An in-app Beam Safety Quiz educating riders on the riding rules, with free credits offered to encourage rider education
• Beam Safety Ambassadors patrolling high-traffic areas, promoting safe riding and parking
• A three-strikes policy, with riders facing suspension for bad riding and parking offenses. Those caught riding dangerously or breaking the law face permanent bans.
• In-person safety sessions to teach riders how to operate an e-scooter safely.

Beam will deploy its Saturn 5 e-scooters, featuring safety-first technology to support both rider safety and that of other road users, including GPS tracking, geofencing and speed limiting technology to ensure safe integration into the city’s transport network.

The e-scooters will also feature tip-resistant dual kickstands, front suspension, triple brakes, wireless charging phone holders, a bluetooth-locked helmet, and swappable batteries.

For the first time, the City of Stirling will also benefit from the introduction of seated e-scooters, aiming to encourage even longer trips, and to aid in increased transport accessibility.

The seated e-scooters offer a practical choice to those who find standing e-scooters and pedal assist e-bikes challenging for use, or those traveling longer distances.

High precision geofencing will be in place, ensuring riders remain inside the approved e-scooter operational zones, and swift action as the rider moves between zones with differing restrictions such as ‘slow zones’, where speed is automatically slowed, and ‘no go zones’ where e-scooters will not be allowed.

New technology to support rider education and enforcement will be introduced for the first time across the city, with Beam’s AI-powered Pedestrian Shield technology integrated into its e-scooter feet, incorporating road surface detection for better rider and pedestrian safety.

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With Pedestrian Shield, Beam’s e-scooters will accurately and reliably identify whether the vehicle is traveling on footpaths, streets or bike lanes, enabling Beam to educate riders on safe riding in and around the cities, by providing specific in-trip and post-trip feedback.

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Beam’s WA Operations Manager, Stuart O’ Callaghan said:

“We’re excited to be bringing our purple e-scooter fleet to the City of Stirling for the first time, and to be building on the city’s public transport offering.

“We’re especially excited to be bringing our seated e-scooter to Stirling, offering a new mode of accessible public transportation to residents and encouraging longer journeys.

“We’re committed to investing in the local community, with new technology to improve safety and accessibility of our e-scooters, and new community programs to enable local businesses and community groups to unlock the benefits of shared micromobility.

“Safety is our first priority, and we are committed to enforcing safe riding, in collaboration with the police.

“We invest in rider education, prevention and deterrence, but above all, even the safest e-scooter requires a safer rider, and we ask that people do the right thing - that means wear a helmet, follow the road rules.”

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The City of Stirling’s Mayor, Mark Irwin said:

“We’re excited that the community can continue to enjoy our stunning City and coastline by e-scooter through this new partnership with Beam.

“Beam not only offers all the safety and control features the City and community have come to expect during our trial, such as speed limits in geo-targeted areas, regulated hours of operation and restrictions on use in certain areas, they also provide this service at a lower cost for users compared to other providers.

“With the ongoing success of the trial now that our hire program is permanent, we’d welcome opportunities for increased connectivity further north and south of our City of Stirling coastline.

"We are especially looking forward to seeing the new seated e-scooter option provide an opportunity for people with mobility issues and living with disability to get involved and enjoy our stunning City and coastline by e-scooter.”

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