Townsville boots Beam: What’s next for e-scooters in the city?

Beam’s purple e-scooters are disappearing from Townsville in a few days, but what’s next for e-mobility in the city? Find out what the council has planned here.

Beam e-scooters on the Strand in Townsville. They company has until October 2 to remove them.

In just a few days, the once-familiar sight of Beam Mobility’s purple e-scooters will vanish from the streets of Townsville, leaving behind a trail of questions about the future of e-mobility in the city.

After a scandal involving alleged under-reporting and noncompliance, Townsville City Council cancelled its agreement with Beam, giving the company until next Wednesday to clear its fleet from public spaces.

Yet, this decision marks only the beginning of a larger conversation about whether e-scooters belong in Townsville at all.

Cities across Australia have been rethinking their relationship with shared e-scooter programs, with Melbourne City Council recently banning shared e-scooters altogether and the Sunshine Coast following suit last month, ending its trial with Neuron.

Now, Townsville faces a similar crossroads. In an online poll conducted by the Townsville Bulletin, more than 70 per cent of readers said they wanted shared e-scooters gone for good.

For now, Townsville City Council remains noncommittal. A spokesman emphasised that they are “assessing options” for future e-mobility operations, noting that the council will open the floor to tenders to explore future partnerships.

“(We) will be going out to tender to explore future options that will align with council’s vision to create a connected community while maintaining the amenity of the city’s open spaces and the safety of footpath users,” he said.

“Townsville has experienced an increase in private e-scooter use in the past few years, with Queensland Police Service maintaining road safety standards for the city.

Kanami Uchikura, from Railway Estate, with a Beam e-scooter. Picture: Shae Beplate.

“E-scooter providers are required to maintain and clean their scooters as well as track their usage, with users subject to regulations and the Australian Road Rules.

“Council encourages the safe operations of both public and private e-scooters.”

Safety is at the heart of the debate. Since e-scooters first rolled onto Townsville’s streets, the city has seen an alarming increase in accidents.

Emergency room visits related to e-scooters at Townsville University Hospital surged from 80 in 2020 to nearly 300 in 2023.

In response to mounting concerns, Neuron Mobility — another major e-scooter operator in Townsville — has doubled down on its safety messaging.

According to the company, more than 99.99 per cent of Neuron trips in the city end without incident, and Neuron has invested $100,000 into promoting helmet use through educational campaigns and financial incentives.

It comes as Cowboys legend Matty Bowen recently spearheaded a safety campaign to tackle the alarming surge in e-scooter accidents sweeping through Townsville and beyond.

Originally published as Townsville boots Beam: What’s next for e-scooters in the city?