Melbourne CBD stripped of e-scooters as major ban comes into effect

Hundreds of e-scooters have been removed from the CBD streets after the City of Melbourne decided to scrap its contracts with two major rideshare providers.

E-scooters have been packed up and trucked out of Melbourne ahead of a new ban on providers, which restricts them from operating in the CBD.

Hundreds of e-scooters on Monday were removed from the CBD after the City of Melbourne decided to tear up its contracts with providers Lime and Neuron in August.

Providers were given 30 days notice to collect their e-scooters from the inner city before restrictions come into play on Tuesday.

The removal of scooters marks the end of a trouble-plagued rollout in the CBD after a spate of dangerous driving, hospitalisations and dumped vehicles left many city-goers feeling on edge.

But the e-scooters will undoubtedly be missed by many keen riders — the 1300 scooters scattered throughout the CBD and surrounding suburbs stretching to St Kilda, Northcote and Footscray racked up a whopping 8.7 million trips since they were introduced in 2022.

Hundreds of e-scooters have been removed from Melbourne’s CBD. Picture: Reddit

The scooters will still be operational in the City of Yarra and Port Phillip areas — raising concerns about how the City of Melbourne intends to keep the e-scooters out of the CBD long-term.

“City of Melbourne will continue to work closely with neighbouring councils such as City of Yarra and the City of Port Phillip to minimise safety and amenity impacts along municipal boundaries,” the council said on its website.

Privately owned scooters remain legal in the CBD, as the council has no powers to restrict their use. Commuters will also still be allowed to use the approximate 500 e-bikes to travel to the city also.

Before introducing the ban, the City of Melbourne had considered a raft of harsher penalties for unsafe riding, such as steeper fines for unsafe use and caps on how many e-scooters could operate in the city.

But “fed-up” local businesses and residents demanded a permanent change after reckless riders continued tearing down city streets and putting their fellow city-goers at risk.

Only a few hire scooters remain on the streets of Melbourne CBD as the ban kicks in. Picture: David Crosling

Lime and Nueron were required to fund the removal of the e-scooters. Picture: AFP

Lord Mayor Nick Reece said he was confident in his decision to boot the scooters from the CBD.

“It wasn’t an easy decision (but) I think it was absolutely the right one,” he told 3AW on Monday.

“At the end of the day, we prioritised safety and we thought the risk of people getting knocked over on the footpaths, tripping hazards because they were getting laid down on the footpaths, not parked properly, was just too high.

But the decision has not been made without contention, and is a major topic of the upcoming council election.

Lord mayor candidate Gary Morgan suggested parking bays for e-scooters at the edge of the city, so riders could hop of their scooters, park and jump straight on a tram in the free travel zone to get into the city.

Victoria Police says Melburnians may still spot e-scooters in the CBD during the transition phase. Picture: David Crosling

Anthony Koutoufides says he will return the e-scooters to the CBD under tighter restrictions if he becomes the next lord mayor. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

Carlton champion Anthony Koutoufides — also running for the top job — said he would bring the e-scooters back into the city under tighter restrictions if he was elected.

While candidates propose their solutions, Lime and Nueron were required to fund the removal of the e-scooters, lugging pileups out on trucks and in vans. Mayor Reece could not confirm where the e-scooters were being taken or stored.

The council ban was a stark switch-up from the state government’s decision to permanently legalise e-scooters across Victoria from October.

Despite the state government’s tick of approval — after multiple extensions on the e-cooter trial — the decision to allow e-scooters still ultimately lies with individual councils across the state, which need to come to their own agreement with operators before e-scooters can hit their streets.

Victoria Police said Melburnians may still spot e-scooters in the CBD during the transition phase.

“Victoria’s shared e-scooter trial will run until 6 October, 2024, so you may still see some shared e-scooters within the city, near some council boundaries. This may be due to GPS inaccuracy, or users accidentally crossing the city’s boundary,” Victoria Police wrote on its website.