Scarborough and Trigg flooded with purple e-scooters as contractor Beam starts two-year deal with Stirling

Flashes of purple have replaced orange along the coast at Scarborough and Trigg as a new e-scooter contractor starts.

The orange scooters of Neuron Mobility, which was part of a two-year trial with the City of Stirling, were removed Thursday morning ahead of Australia Day and replaced with the purple scooters of major micromobility company Beam.

Beam, which operates scooters in the Perth CBD, Rockingham and other parts of regional WA, recently won a two-year tender to operate in the City of Stirling.

It has dropped 250 e-scooters into Stirling, including 60 with seats, for hire 24 hours a day.

The app-based service will feature pay-as-you-go rates ($1 to unlock and from 45 cents per minute to ride) and ‘virtual docking’ to protect city amenity.

Over 50 new parking spots have been added to the operating area, allowing riders to access more of the city.

People hiring the scooters will get an in-app safety briefing and riders doing the wrong thing will face suspension under a three-strikes policy.

Those caught riding dangerously or breaking the law face permanent bans.

The scooters feature wireless charging phone holders. The seated e-scooters aim to encourage longer trips and to aid in increased transport accessibility.

Stirling Mayor Mark Irwin said, “We’re excited the community can continue to enjoy our stunning city and coastline by e-scooter”.

“Beam not only offers all the safety and control features the city and community have come to expect during our trial, such as speed limits in geo-targeted areas, regulated hours of operation and restrictions on use in certain areas, they also provide this service at a lower cost for users compared to other providers,” he said.

“With the ongoing success of the trial now that our hire program is permanent, we’d welcome opportunities for increased connectivity further north and south of our City of Stirling coastline.

“We are especially looking forward to seeing the new seated e-scooter option provide an opportunity for people with mobility issues and living with disability to get involved.”

Beam WA operations manager Stuart O’Callaghan said the company was excited to build on the city’s public transport offering.

“We’re committed to investing in the local community… and new community programs to enable local businesses and community groups to unlock the benefits of shared micro-mobility.

“Safety is our first priority, and we are committed to enforcing safe riding, in collaboration with the police.”