Neuron or Beam: If you’re scootin’ around, which two-wheeled service is best?

We review two competing electric scooter services which cost only just a little less than to hire an Uber over the same distance.

Neuron Mobility was comfortable to ride but more expensive to hire.

Hireable electric bikes and scooters haven’t had the most warm welcome to Australia.

We’re not talking about the type you might get on a monthly basis but those you rent by the minute which are legal in some states and banned in others.

In the early days it was common to see electric bikes and scooters make headlines as they were tossed into rivers, found in pieces or kicked down gullies.

But in 2023 it seems like much of the country has finally given up its hesitation towards the services. And in some cases they might, dare we say it, become popular.

In Perth this week The Australian has been balancing on a couple of electric scooters from Beam and Neuron Mobility.

Beam's newly launched electric share scooter scheme in Perth, WA.

While Neuron, which was founded in 2016 in Singapore, has been around in the West Australian capital since March, Beam entered the market a couple of weeks ago.

Beam has, however, been in the state since 2020l. It was first launched in Bunbury, about 170km south of Perth.

The Australian took both brands for a spin around Perth over several days, testing how they handle as a day-to-day commuter.

It’s fair to say one of the first things anyone notices is the price. While we’re not sure what we were expecting, the price is comparable to rideshare services from Uber and Didi.

A 11-minute trip covering 1.96km costs $7.12 with Neuron and that includes a $1 unlocking fee plus 51c per minute.

A 24-minute trip with Beam costs $12.25, including a $1 unlocking fee and 45c per minute rate.

When it comes to how both handle, we favoured the Neuron over the Beam. Although Beam has front suspension, that hardly made a difference in comparison with the Neuron – and as for comfort, it didn’t hold a candle to the Segway Max G2 we reviewed last month.

Neuron Mobility's for-hire electric scooters in Perth.

We found the brakes on the Beam work a lot better and, in some cases, found ourselves skidding around corners when clamping down a little too hard. That was a slight thrill we didn’t expect but thoroughly enjoyed.

The Neuron felt a bit heavier which was helpful at a higher speed. We did have some balancing issues on the Beam initially but perhaps that’s because we’re used to different models.

Speaking of speed, we were able to reach 25km/h on both devices.

The scooters are limited to what appears to be an identical geo-fence which limits the rider from entering certain areas close to churches and schools.

One perk of Beam is that you can organise group ride, which lets a user unlock up to three scooters via a single account.

One thing we found initially appealing and later mortifying was Beam’s mobile phone holder. The expandable mount seemed like a great idea until our iPhone bounced out when going over a bump. Thankfully it was not close to a road and the QuadLock case we have it in appears to have worked well and there was no visible damage.

Beam's scooters have a mobile phone carrier, but beware.

Each scooter on the app shows the battery percentage and range. On Beam, a scooter with 72 per cent battery had a range of 36km, indicating an approximate 50km range on a full battery.

Neuron’s range was far smaller and didn’t show a battery percentage in the app. One device which appeared to be around three quarters full had a 21km range.

A Beam spokeswoman said the average ride in Perth was 15 minutes – that’s three minutes more than the average range in other cities – and Beam scooters were being picked up between two to three times per day.

A spokeswoman from Neuron said the average Perth trip was 14 minutes and 1.9km.

Convenient and fun but inexpensive? Well that’s open to debate.

The verdict? This one is pretty close. Neuron’s scooter was comfortable to ride but that came at a cost of 6c more per minute.

Beam felt more modern and innovative with the group booking, bigger battery, range and the phone mount – what a shame it doesn’t work.

Joseph was a guest of WestTech Fest in Perth.