Geraldton the first in WA to receive seated e-scooters in 15-month trial which boosts transport accessibility

Geraldton’s love affair with e-scooters has seen more kilometres travelled on them than anywhere else in the State, prompting the Mid West city to become the first WA spot to test seated scooters. As part of its 15-month trial with Beam, 50 seated e-scooters were on Friday added to the 300 standing fleet in Geraldton. Beam determined Geraldton had taken to the new form of transport the most successfully out of other trial locations, including Bunbury and Esperance. The new seated scooters are a more accessible option for those travelling longer distances, and users who are not as confident on the standing devices. Geraldton has travelled 350,000km on Beam’s purple e-scooters In the first 11 months of the trial, more than anywhere else in the State. Stuart O’Callaghan, regional operations manager for Beam said the seated vehicles tested in Brisbane had seen 20 per cent more trips a day, and 30 per cent longer distances travelled compared with the standing scooters. “Geraldton has shown a lot of interest in the vehicles, so we want to show that commitment by bringing the new devices to the City for the first time in the State,” he said. City of Greater Geraldton mayor Shane Van Styn is an avid fan of the scooters, using them frequently to get from A to B when he has the option. Mr Van Styn said the City had received an abundance of positive feedback throughout the trial so far. “We’re really seeing them become an everyday part of life for many folks,” he said. Council will make the final call as to whether the scooters will be sticking around for good. “We’ll see the trial through till the end of December, and but are certainly looking forward to rolling them out on a more permanent basis,” Mr Van Styn said. The City was faced with teething issues at the beginning of the trial, when some residents were displeased with them being carelessly dumped, and some users injuring themselves when riding incorrectly. Mr Van Styn said the creases have been ironed out. “We’ve seen better consumer behaviour recently, compared to the early days, when they were being left in the middle of the footpath,” he said. The company is planning to roll out the seated devices in Rockingham and Esperance in the coming weeks.