Neuron Mobility approved to trial e-scooters in Yeppoon
Livingstone Shire Council has approved an application from Neuron Mobility to provide electric scooters (e-scooters) in Yeppoon for a 12-month trial.
The fleet of e-scooters is due to be rolled out in November and will allow residents and tourists alike to travel from central Yeppoon north to Farnborough Beach and south to Rosslyn Bay Harbour.
Councillor Pat Eastwood, Portfolio holder of Healthy and Inclusive Community, said the increasingly popular e-scooters will be a welcome addition to the transport options currently available to residents and tourists.
“Neuron’s commercial grade e-scooters are packed with safety features, including geofencing technology featuring Go-Slow, No-Go, and No Parking zones, integrated helmets, a 000 Emergency Button feature that can detect if a rider has had a fall, and voice guidance to educate riders on how to ride safely.
“The e-scooters are programmed so they can’t travel faster than the set speed limit in designated zones and are limited to 12 kilometres per hour on all shared pathways in line with the new Queensland Government rules for mobility devices.
The use of mobility devices such as e-scooters is governed by Queensland road rules which can be enforced by the Queensland Police Service.
“Whether you are walking, riding a bike, driving a car or using an e-scooter in a shared space, it’s important that everyone abides by the rules and is respectful towards each other,” Cr Eastwood said.
Tim Morris, Regional Manager at Neuron Mobility, said Neuron are delighted to have been chosen by Livingstone Shire Council to provide their e-scooters as part of the trial and thank them for their trust and support.
“E-scooters are really well suited to Yeppoon and they will be a great way for locals as well as tourists to travel in a safe, convenient and environmentally-friendly way. Elsewhere in Australia, including in Rockhampton they are significantly reducing congestion and emissions while also helping to boost the local economy,” said Mr Morris.
“Safety is our top priority; it dictates our e-scooter design and also the way we operate them. Our e-scooters are packed with a range of cutting-edge safety features and we know from experience in other cities that riders really appreciate this.”
Mayor Andy Ireland, portfolio holder of Economic Development, said Yeppoon will be the fifth city in Queensland to host Neuron’s e-scooters, with the company already running successful operations in Brisbane, Townsville, Bundaberg and Rockhampton.
“We expect that e-scooters will provide a welcome boost to our region’s economy, with Neuron’s operations in Rockhampton already supporting 30 employees with up to 10 local jobs to be added in Yeppoon to handle the daily maintenance, hourly demand rebalancing, and battery swapping,” Mayor Ireland said.
“Our shire is going from strength to strength and having a company like Neuron choosing to invest here just goes to show that.”
Riders will be able to book and use the e-scooters through Neuron’s user-friendly app, which can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play and set up in a matter of minutes.
Initially, the scooters will be set up for a twelve-month trial which will allow Council and the successful operator to assess the viability of e-scooters staying in Yeppoon.
For more information about Neuron Mobility visit: www.rideneuron.com
More information regarding road rules for mobility devices is available at https://www.qld.gov.au/transport/safety/rules/wheeled-devices/personal-mobility-devices