Beam will bring up to 150 shared e-scooters to Ipswich this week in a 6-month trial.
Australia’s largest micromobility company Beam will bring its brand of community-first micromobility to Ipswich on 8 July, following Council approval of a trading permit for a 6-month trial in Springfield.
Up to 150 purple e-scooters will be introduced to the city, with operations bringing not only access to shared e-scooters for local residents and visitors, but also the creation of local jobs to manage operations in the local community.
The app-based service will feature affordable pay-as-you-go rates ($1 to unlock and from $0.55 per minute), ‘virtual docking’ to protect city amenity, and an in-app and in person safety school for rider and community education.
Beam will deploy its industry-leading Saturn e-scooters, featuring tip-resistant dual kickstands, front suspension, triple brakes, phone holders, a bluetooth-locked helmet, and swappable batteries.
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 parking zones’.
Andrew Dodd, Beam’s Queensland Operations Manager said:We’re thrilled to be partnering with the Council to deliver Ipswich’s first shared micromobility operations, and to bring our industry leading e-scooters to the region.
Queenslanders have already seen shared micromobility take off in other cities and towns across the state, with the data from our other operations such as Brisbane, Logan, Townsville, Port Douglas, Magnetic Island, Mackay, Hervey Bay and Cairns showing a shift from cars to e-scooters for shorter trips under 5 km.
As we prepare to commence our operations in Ipswich, we are committed to forming partnerships with local community members and organisations, and engaging in discussions around the safe operation of e-scooters to ensure the safety of riders, pedestrians and other road users.
We know e-scooters are new to the community, and we are committed to working closely with the local community to ensure riders know their responsibilities when on an e-scooter.
We are confident that our experience across other Australian markets will ensure operations are a success.
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 offences. Those caught riding dangerously or breaking the law face permanent bans.
Beam will be hosting a free Beam Safe Academy safety day on Saturday 8 July, from 9am – 2pm at the car park off of Southern Cross Circuit. We invite the community to attend, have a go on an e-scooter and learn more about the latest way to move around Ipswich.
This article was originally published by Beam.
