Melbourne’s Neuron e-scooters to be fitted with AI cameras to stop riders using footpaths

Melbourne will be the first major city in the world to have a fleet of e-scooters equipped with AI-powered cameras that detect whether people are flouting the rules.

Melbourne will be the first major city in the world to have an entire fleet of e-scooters decked out with front-facing AI-powered cameras, a leading e-scooter operator says.

The technology, which has been tested in Melbourne over the past six months, will now be rolled out to all 1250 e-scooters in the Neuron fleet.

In a statement, Neuron said its technology – dubbed ‘ScootSafe Vision’ – can detect whether an e-scooter is on a footpath in under a second.

The technology has been tested in Melbourne over the past six months.

“Every Neuron e-scooter will be equipped with a front-facing camera that uses advanced AI computer vision technology to detect and correct footpath riding,” the statement said.

“It will also be used to identify and warn riders of pedestrians in their path, and collect valuable data on road surfaces.”

Riders flouting the rules will be hit with a real-time audio alert, telling them: “Footpath riding detected. Please ride on the road.”

“ScootSafe Vision can also be configured to reduce the e-scooter’s speed, effectively forcing riders to leave the footpath,” the statement added.

Repeat offenders face being suspended by the operator after their trip.

All Neuron e-scooters in Melbourne will be fitted with the technology.

The technology will also be able to collect data on uneven road surfaces, including potholes.

The trial, which involved the cameras being fitted to some of Neuron’s e-scooters, covered more than 30,000km to train the technology to recognise the city’s streets and footpaths.

The e-scooter trial operating in the City of Melbourne, City of Yarra and City of Port Phillip was extended for the third time in April.

Former Lord Mayor Sally Capp had warned in May that operators Lime and Neuron had been deterred from implementing better technology because the rollout was stuck in the trial phase.

“(The trial) has delayed improvements to safety and I think the better operation of the shared scooter schemes,” she said.

The technology will alert riders if they are on a footpath in under one second. Picture: Brendan Beckett

Her mayoral successor Nick Reece said on Thursday that most e-scooter riders did the right thing and only a small percentage flouted the rules, making the streets unsafe. 

“Riding on footpaths, double-dinking and trashing e-scooters across walkways — we’re fed up with bad behaviour,” he said.

Mr Reece welcomed the ScootSafe expansion and said that it was technology “we have been crying out for from e-scooter providers”.

“It’s the kind of technology we could consider mandating for any operators who want to do business in the City of Melbourne,” he added.

“Technology like ScootSafe, combined with stricter enforcement from Victoria Police, will go a long way in making our streets and footpaths safer for pedestrians, drivers and riders.”

Mr Reece said Town Hall was reviewing the e-scooter scheme and a report was due before the council in coming months.

Many riders have been injured during the trial, two studies showed.

More than 180 people were admitted to St Vincent’s Hospital in the six months to April and 272 patients were admitted to The Alfred with e-scooter injuries in the five years to May 2022.

Originally published as Melbourne’s Neuron e-scooters to be fitted with AI cameras to stop riders using footpaths