Author’s suggestions

There is no need in Australian cities for scooters that have more power or go faster than the current Lime scooters. The decision to choose 25kmh seems appropriate at present. Restricting speeds to 10kmh, as previous laws did in Queensland, would be nonsensical. Escooter systems are likely a natural monopoly, or perhaps duopoly. This is because one needs many scooters from the same operator available across a wide area to ensure efficiency in operations, keep costs low and provide wide coverage for users. Brisbane City Council is talking of a probable monopoly, awarded via tender. This is the approach used since the city’s first tram operations in the 1880s. If Australian cities do award monopoly rights, we hope they adopt Santa Monica’s use of a levy on the operator that is hypothecated towards improving the city’s bike lanes and bike paths, to create more safe riding space. We recommend scooter parking locations be designated in key locations, but this could prove difficult given the competition for space on the city’s streets and footpaths.

Cities should enter into meaningful partnerships with scooter companies that include data sharing for research and analysis of overall city transportation. Gold Coast’s MoBike scheme is, without much fanfare, the bestused bicyclesharing scheme in Australia and an exemplar partnership model.