Electric scooters could be the next innovation to hit Adelaide streets -if they are granted a legal exemption

Dockless electric scooters could be the next transport experiment to hit Adelaide streets if Singaporean start-up Beam Mobility Solutions has its way.

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Dockless electric scooters could be the next transport experiment to hit the Adelaide streets if Singaporean start up Beam Mobility Solutions has its way.

The company, which is run by former executives of bike share company Ofo, which pulled out of Adelaide and Australia mid-last year, was in town last week talking to Adelaide City Council and the State Government about its plans.

Beam vice president corporate affairs Christopher Hilton said the company would need an exemption from the government to allow its scooters to be ridden on the roads, which is currently illegal.

There is already an exemption in place in Queensland, and Beam has about 1000 scooters on the way to Brisbane currently, Mr Hilton said.

The scooters will be dockless, similar to other bike share schemes, but Mr Hilton said their business plan involved paying people to change scooters overnight, which would get many of them off the streets.

The company would also have its own staff employed to ensure the scooters were deployed in the correct areas where use was high., and that they were adequately charged.

Beam Mobility Solutions' electric scooter. Supplied photograph.

Mr Hilton said the company was also keen to discuss with the Council the best way to ensure the company did not cause a problem with the use of public land.

“We will have people on the ground in Adelaide, that are full-time people that are redistributing the scooters, moving them around appropriately and ensuring they’re charged,’’ he said.

“But we also hope to have a team of freelancers, people who charge the scooters overnight. “Our goal is essentially to have most vehicles off the street every single night.’’

Mr Hilton said the pricing for the service had not been set as yet.

“Right now (the scooters) are not allowed to used anywhere (except for) private land,’’ he said.

“What we think makes sense is our vehicles being used for trips from 500m to 3km.

“They allow you to take trips that are a bit different from walking and a lot different from driving.

“We want to make sure they are as safe a ride as possible and there are a number of features that help do that.’’

This included potentially speed-limiting new users, and helmets were likely to be required and would be supplied by the company.

Mr Hilton said the company was already operating in a “limited fashion’’ in Singapore, was operating in Kuala Lumpur and was looking at a number of Australian cities.

A spokesman for the Council said it would be up to councillors to ultimately make a decision, if an exemption was granted by the government, but advice was still being taken.

The Council is currently considering an application for an operating permit for a new bike sharing company, Airbike, which wants to run a 200-bike fleet in the CBD and North Adelaide.

Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor told The Advertiser last week that lessons had been learned from previous bike share programs.

As such, the new permit for Airbike would ensure that “dangerously located bikes” are to be removed within four hours, damaged bikes are to be removed within 24 hours and inappropriately located bikes are to be removed within 48 hours.

The application from Airbike was discussed at a council committee meeting last week and will now go to the full council for a final vote.

A spokesman for the government said they had met with the company and were considering the issue.

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