URPS staff offered free e-scooter rides under Beam for Business program

An Adelaide company has found an innovative way to lure workers back into their city offices – by offering them free scooter rides.

URPS managing director Matthew King. Picture: Supplied by URPS

An Adelaide company has found an innovative way to lure workers back into their city offices – by offering them free scooter rides.

Town planning firm URPS has become the first company in South Australia and one of the first in the country to offer the perk as part of the new ‘Beam for Business’ program run by e-scooter operator Beam.

The program was recently launched to help businesses encourage their workers back to the office, while also reducing their carbon emissions.

As part of the deal with URPS, Beam will install a new parking spot outside the company’s new offices on Halifax St in the city, providing access to Beam’s e-scooters for meetings or site inspections, with the bill picked up by URPS.

Staff will receive free safety training.

URPS managing director Matthew King said the partnership followed the company’s recent move from Rose Park into larger purpose-built offices in the city.

“The challenge for us, as business leaders, is to keep coming up with new and inventive ways to make being in the office cool again,” he said.

“While we’ve always had a really strong team culture, we deliberately designed our new office to be as warm and inviting as possible, to enhance collaboration, connection and creativity.

“Our SA-first collaboration with Beam is another part of that overall effort.

“It’s a practical way that we can do our part to help our staff reduce some of their transport costs, where possible, while at the same time supporting the city and the environment.”

Beam Australia and New Zealand head of business development Adam Rossetto said e-scooters were a convenient and environmentally-friendly way for workers to move around the city for short trips such as getting to a meeting or heading out for lunch.

“We see Beam for Business forming part of the arsenal of a business helping their workers get to and from work, as well as around town during the day for meetings and work commitments, all whilst being environmentally friendly,” he said.

“As part of the Beam for Business program, we assist companies in tracking how far their employees have travelled on our certified climate neutral e-scooters, supporting them in their carbon emissions reduction plans.”

The latest office vacancy rates, released by the Property Council earlier this month, revealed the rate of empty offices in the CBD had jumped to 17 per cent – its highest level since the late 1990s.

Property Council SA executive director Bruce Djite said URPS was “backing the city and the office” through its partnership with Beam.