Launceston E-scooters: Trio in hot water after Beams chucked in river

Three Tasmanians have been banned for life, billed for thousands in damages and may be charged by police after allegedly chucking four e-scooters in the drink, which took six hours to retrieve.

A Launceston trio have been banned for life, billed for thousands in damages and may be charged by police after allegedly chucking four e-scooters in the Tamar River in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Beam’s clean-up operation, which saw two ‘rangers’ take up to six hours on Sunday to retrieve from under Kings Bridge, was photographed by a local, who called the culprits “t*ssers”.

“The company guys were down there for six hours trying to... haul them up,” he said.

A representative for Beam said the trio’s alleged conduct would cost them dearly.

“In this case, Beam has identified the (alleged) individuals, who have been permanently banned from our platform,” the representative said.

“They have also been charged with the damages incurred, and we have referred their details on to the Tasmanian Police for further action.”

Beam rangers fishing e-scooters out the Tamar River from Kings Bridge on Sunday. Picture: Facebook

The representative would not directly say how much each alleged offender was billed, but confirmed the total amount was in the thousands.

“We know the local community generally condemns anti-social behaviour, and we believe that the presence of our marshals on the road, and also having more riders on streets due to micromobility, deters anti-social behaviour in the long run, given there are more people on the roads to unofficially police this sort of behaviour, and act as a deterrent,” the representative added.

“(In addition to this) Beam proactively prevents vehicles from parking near water bodies, and near areas where high levels of anti-social behaviour are known to occur.

“It is unfortunate that there are individuals who deliberately go out of their way to cause damage to both private and public property, and when this happens, we work closely with the police – and the public – to identify these individuals, to ensure that the actions of a few don’t harm the environment, or ruin a good experience for others.”

Tasmania Police said they were aware of the matter.

“At this stage, no charges have been laid. Police do not have any other reports of damage to e-scooters within the Launceston area.”

Meanwhile, Beam is hosting two ‘Beam Safe Academies’ in Hobart and Launceston in the coming days.

“The Beam Safe Academy incorporates a briefing guide for new riders, an interactive safety quiz and a free training course for riders to test out their e-scooter skills in a supportive environment,” the representative said.

Beam rangers fishing e-scooters out the Tamar River from Kings Bridge. Picture: Facebook

“The Beam Safe Academy program has been developed in partnership with national safety experts Ascent Training Services, and forms part of Beam’s community engagement efforts to educate riders on local riding rules and safe handling of e-scooters.

“Riders will learn safe operating and manoeuvring skills, such as how to turn, brake and signal to other riders and pedestrians.

“All participants also receive $5 in free ride credit.”

The Academy will be held at Mawson’s Concourse, corner of Morrison and Argyle streets Hobart on Saturday from 1–4pm and The Big Picture School, 4 Invermay Rd, Invermay on Monday from 3–5pm.

No bookings are required but riders must be aged 16 or older to participate.