Will electric scooters revolutionise our daily commutes, or are they just another passing fad?
Truth be told, our urban planners have not been good in the integration of land uses, such as shops, homes and offices, with their transport infrastructure. Some of us cannot drive to the nearest bus or train station, but it is too far away to walk. So, what can be the solution to this problem? I know. If we had electric scooters, we could easily scoot our way there.
This guide is meant to present insight to Australian riders on the reasons as to why electric scooters are set to revolutionise inner city travel.
Are Electric Scooters the Future of Urban Travel?
Yes. More recently, this ever increasing trend means that you will see many people on electric scooters, on a daily basis.
Firms such as Lime and Bird have revolutionised our thoughts on urban transport. They offer their users a platform from which to locate and hire motorised scooters on their smartphones.
Lime has been in discussions with local authorities in an attempt to weave their fleet of e-scooters into Australia’s transport network.
Mitchell Price, the Director of Government Affairs and Strategy in Australia and New Zealand mentions Lime’s e-scooters popularity in major cities like Sydney, and also in the USA. He believes the needs and wants of the community moving forward are looking for a cleaner, more affordable, easy and accessible option for transportation. This is where the motorised scooter fits in.
There has also been concerns regarding the cities reluctance to take on this forward thinking movement for inner city commuters, due to regulations in Australia. The reason being is that it is essential to have a licence for a electric scooter in NSW, VIC, TAS.
What we can’t deny is that the transport sector is rapidly changing. Some of the technological advancements in the transport sector and today’s ride-sharing services, which include electric scooters, are hydrogen buses, electric cars & bikes. The electric scooters are also gaining great popularity, and this is only going to increase.
Importance of Electric Scooters
Commuters
The benefits of electric scooters for inner city commuters are obvious. They are ideal for short distance commutes. You only need an app to rent and leave one almost anywhere, as long as you adhere to the guidelines of use including how and where to park a motorised scooter. You don’t want to be the one to have your scooter obstructing the footpath.
A majority of inner city commuters are fond of travelling on e-scooters because they somewhat impart that feel of skiing effortlessly on land. It doesn’t really matter if you are riding on a rough terrain or on a smooth road, motorised scooters are best suited for an effortless glide on roads.
Electric scooters are inexpensive to use, fun to ride, and are pretty easy to operate. What’s more? They are environment friendly transit options as compared to other transportation modes running on fossil fuels.
Local Councils and Traffic
Despite our local councils’ extensive reconciliation efforts with hyper-aggressive ride-sharing apps, our cities are recognising a remarkable upside to all this. The permit fees that fleet companies pay will by and large be used to better our bike lanes and other infrastructures. Please check out the Australia’s local council rules, regulations, and permits for electric scooters.
With the arrival of Lime in Brisbane, one of our country’s most progressive public transport networks, the city council took a hard-line stance at the outset. They were quick to seize hundreds of unlawfully placed electric scooters and issue fines.
For the prospective electric scooter operators, the main benefit is the thriving billion-dollar industry, and the numerous prospects to scale quickly. According to the CEO of the tech data and analytics firm CB Insights, Anand Sanwal, the up and coming trends such as city living, is only decreasing the number or motor vehicle owners and suggests that the hire companies, such as Lime and Bird have been very clever in combating inner city commuters needs.
According to Mark Suster, an investor in Bird, e scooter operators get loads of valuable data through tracing where vehicles are and where individuals often pick and leave their motorised scooters. This can in turn help Australian local councils and urban planners to build better cities.
Recently, new council rules that require operators to habitually place their fleets at bus stops, and other transit stops, encourage a way to enhance our public transit options.
Electric Scooter Fleets
Rampant Growth
The E scooters industry is growing rapidly. With the race to take over the market first, there’s a chance that some companies cut corners, which may result in unreliable software and hardware. To get a reliable e scooter, you have to do your research and ensure that all components of the electric scooter work properly.
City Push back
The rampant growth in this industry calls for reconciliation strategies with our city councils. Even though Australian cities have not completely banned the e scooters, some people are still very worried. Why? Their approval process might take years before they come to pass.
Reliability
In previous years some electric scooters models have had a reliability issue with batteries. However, rapid advancements in more recent years have seen a substantial improvement in battery life, battery reliability. Commuters now seem to be happier with the advancements in batteries and love the electric scooter design which is perfect for easy commute.
Electric Scooter Batteries
E Scooters are a more environmentally friendly mode of transport due to the fact that they are rechargeable. You get up to 300-1000 charges depending on the type of battery and the amount of use and how well you look after them. A significant number of motorised scooter fleet operators say that they have programs to recycle batteries, which is awesome!
Solutions Electric Scooter Fleet
At the moment, there’s a lot of fuss about e scooters in Australia. Given that this is the future of urban transportation, our cities will find a way to manage increasing numbers of e scooters in our cities.