From Saturday, March 18th, people will be able to hire e-scooters from more than 80 sites across the city.
In the two-year trial, 500 e-scooters will be available from two providers — 250 each from Neuron and Bird, and you’ll be able to travel across Perth CBD and surrounding suburbs, including East Perth, Northbridge, and Crawley.
“The City of Perth is a really great location to be able to benefit from the e-scooters. To be able to go along the foreshore, and then for the connection to East Perth and Claisebrook, we will now be able to further enhance the CBD. It’s something we can really benefit from,” Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas commented.
“It’s a new era of transport in our city that I think our city is really going to benefit from.”
With safety the top priority, riding in Northbridge will be restricted on Friday and Saturday nights from 6:00 pm. Additionally, scootering through the Hay Street Mall, the Murray Street Mall, Forrest Place, and Kings Park is prohibited. Both brands of scooters are fitted with geofencing technology to ensure riders stay within the City of Perth areas.
Riders will be limited to a speed of 25 kilometres per hour on roads and 10 kilometres per hour on footpaths. Riders must be 16 years old and over, and only one user is allowed per e-scooter while wearing a helmet at all times. As e-scooters are a mode of transport, it goes without saying that riding under the influence of alcohol and other substances is prohibited.
“I’m pretty excited about what it’s going to open up for our city, we’re a city that is spread substantially east to west, and I think improving accessibility between those corridors is something that our city is really going to benefit from.”
How do they work?
To access the scooters, you’ll need to download the Neuron or Bird app and pay $1.00 to unlock the e-scooter and helmet. Neuron then charges 51 cents per minute used, while Bird charges 45 cents per minute. Both companies are looking to roll out ride passes and discounted rates for concession and frequent users.
Once you reach your end destination, Neuron requires a photo to show the scooter has been left in the designated parking locations. Bird users must scan the surroundings and through GPS, will be able to determine where they are.
The trips are unable to be ended until the scooter has been returned to the designated parking spot; however, they will time out after 10 minutes of inactivity.
After two years, the City of Perth will evaluate the success of the trial and whether or not they will continue with the provision of e-scooters.
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Lead image: So Perth
