A trial of rental e-scooters will continue over the summer months as the City of Launceston and City of Hobart prepare final reports into their introduction.
Rental e-scooters were introduced in the two cities last December, following regulatory changes from the State Government which allow both private and rental e-scooters to be used on most local roads, footpaths and cycling trails across the State.
The City of Launceston and the City of Hobart have worked with the State Government and private operators Beam and Neuron on the trial.
The trial does not seek to determine whether e-scooters should or should not be allowed to operate in Tasmania; rather it provides a formal mechanism for the Councils to play an advocacy role in managing the introduction of e-scooters to their cities, to better understand how e-scooters are being used, and to identify improvements.
The hire and ride providers are commercial businesses operating legally in Tasmania.
While Councils have a limited role in regulating them, they do have powers to restrict usage in certain areas.
The 12-month trial, originally due to conclude in December, will be extended to March as the two Councils collate usage data and public feedback in final reports to be considered by elected representatives.
Since the introduction of rental e-scooters in Launceston, more than 220,000 individual trips have been taken, equating to 394 rides each day and a combined total distance travelled of 425,357km.
Launceston Mayor Danny Gibson said the public had already provided a range of feedback to improve the operation of rental e-scooters in Launceston, but people could still have input by writing to: [email protected] before 5pm Friday, December 16, 2022.
"The feedback provided throughout the trial has seen the operators reducing speeds in certain zones, undertaking awareness campaigns on the parking of scooters, and encouraging safer riding," Mayor Gibson said.
"As we begin to assess the 12-month data set from the trial of rental e-scooters, and consider what the future of rental e-scooter use looks like in Launceston, this is an opportunity for people to provide any relevant information they feel has not been adequately explored."
It's expected the City of Launceston will consider a report into the trial period at a Council meeting in March next year.
