Launceston gives green light for e

Launceston has given the green light for Beam commercial e-scooter operations to continue following a successful trial period.

The decision was made at a recent council meeting and allows Beam to operate their electric scooters on a more permanent basis.

Despite some initial issues, the council granted the license with conditions, including the need for the scooters to be parked in certain locations, which Beam described as ‘fair and reasonable’.

The permit is renewable annually, at an initial cost of $7000 to Beam, with the council recouping administration and infrastructure costs associated with the e-scooter operations.

Since their introduction in December 2020, Launceston residents have taken 376,000 trips on the purple Beam e-scooters, covering a total distance of 654,000 kilometres, with an average trip distance of 1.7 kilometres, according to operator data.