The retailers are getting ready for a Christmas boom for the sale of electric scooters. The federal and state regulation have been struggling to keep up with the technology leaving the customers at risk of accidentally violating the law.

In areas like New South Wales, South Australia, and Western Australia, it is legal to ride an e-scooter only on private property. However, in countries like Tasmania, Victoria, the Northern Territory, and the ACT the e-scooters below 200 watts are allowed to be ridden at speeds up to 10km/h in some public places.

E-bikes wave in fame in Australian cities but experts warn of risks

Queensland is the only state where the e-scooter above 200 watts can be ridden on trails, bike paths, and local streets. It is the only state where a rider can travel at speeds over 10km/h. The ACT is intending to legalize e-scooters and run an informative campaign before Christmas.

The e-scooters are the variety of mobile and effective transport that retailers are trying to encourage. However, safety is paramount. The sales of e-scooters have grown massively jumping to 50% of the sales in a few stores since they arrived on the shelves in the last 12 months. They are expecting huge sales around Christmas. 

The spokesperson from Lime, Mitchell Price declared that there were already more than 155000 privately owned scooters in Australia. The influential retailers like Harvey Norman and JB HiFi also stock the devices including many high-powered models that can move at velocities of up to 25km/h and are more compelling than the 200-watt limit defined by Australian Vehicle Standards.

There are still concerns over the safety of e-scooters that have compounded the possible legal situation.

Following growth in take-up in many countries, the use of e-scooters has been halted on tracks in France, Germany, Singapore, and Peru.  In the year 2018, there was a death reported in the pedestrian area in Spain and from then the officer of Victoria Walks, Ben Rossiter, said retailers need to put community safety before blind profit.

The footpaths are the cover of our most highly exposed road users – older people, parents and children, and those with incapacity. 

The study lead by the New Zealand Medical Association reported 180 e-scooter related injuries had been attended at Auckland hospitals over a four-month period. In Auckland, the e-scooters are allowed to be ridden on the footpath, bike path, and roads. And the e-scooter speed limit is actually the same as the road speed limit and riders are not expected to wear helmets.  So, the study recommended greater regulation. 

Trials supporting the use of private and rented e-scooters within a limited range are now underway in Brisbane and Adelaide, with another proposed to start in Darwin in the coming months.

There has been a groundswell of councils desiring to give the claims a go. The regions include the City of Sydney, Randwick, Waverley, and Northern Beaches councils in Sydney, Port Phillip Council in Melbourne, Western Region and Coastal Alliance councils in Adelaide, and regional centers Geelong and Newcastle. 

The Singapore-based share hire business Beam has engaged with 65 to 70 councils across Australia. 

Welcoming the e-scooters and dealing with them

The legislation is fragmented in various states and territories. This is why the sale of scooters is very problematic. Many stores in Australia gave the wrong advice on the laws.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission declared that that under Australian consumer law, companies must not provide data about products that are “false or misleading”. It was allowed for retailers to sell e-scooters, but selling customers products based on the knowledge that is “misleading or deceptive or is likely to mislead or deceive” carried a maximum penalty of $10m for a corporation.

E-scooter newcomers on the street of Auckland

The e-scooter companies Neuron and Beam which are from Singapore will be joining Flamingo and Uber’s Jump as the newest operators to hit Auckland streets. The Auckland council stated that they have stopped Lime and Wave due to safety reasons. They have granted licenses to the other four operators to operate in the country’s largest city.  The operating licenses will work for six months, and the companies are allowed to put 3200 scooters on the streets between them.

Neuron e-scooters are run by South East Asian electric scooter company Neuron Mobility. They are based out of Singapore. The company was founded in 2016 and it currently operates in Singapore, Bangkok, and Malaysia, and in August, 600 of its scooters were rolled out in Brisbane.

The companies maintain that safety is its number one priority. Its scooters have front and rear brakes, come with a helmet, have a 15kmp/h speed limit and also a rider insurance policy.

The other e-scooter Beam launched the fleet of e-scooters. It rolled out 300 of its scooters and it prioritizes safety viewing itself as a responsible partner. 

The Beam e-scooters come with helmets and have the best speed of 15kmp/h. Beam also works in Adelaide. The Council director of regulatory services Craig Hobbs stated that the four new operators have successful applications as the cases included “higher quality approaches about influencing user behavior to enhance safety outcomes and reduce potential nuisance.

Want to develop e-scooter app in Australia and Auckland?

Looking at the current situations in Auckland and the whole Australian continent, it can be clearly seen that the fleet and technologies which are committed to improving the cities are welcome instead of those who are compromising on the safety measures. 

Opt for our white label solution Rohak to start your e-scooter solutions in the Australian region. Visit our e-scooter app development page or connect with us to know more about the features and technologies that we offer with Rohak and take your business on the top of the e-scooter world!