Council votes on e-transport trial future

The findings of a review of the region’s e-bike and e-scooter trial have been considered at the latest meeting of Sunshine Coast Council.

Council trialed the hiring of affordable and environmentally friendly e-transport in the Mooloolaba and Maroochydore area from May 2023.

Following an application process, Neuron Mobility was awarded an 18-month trial permit to provide Council with the opportunity to assess:

• if e-transport was a good fit for the Sunshine Coast region
• community feedback, concerns and impacts related to e-transport hire
• if the community would embrace this mode of transport as an alternative for getting around Maroochydore and Mooloolaba.

Sunshine Coast Council, Group Executive for Customer and Planning Services Shanagh Jacobs, said that, overall, Council’s team found the trial was undertaken in accordance with the Local Law permit and agreed service levels.

“A report presented to Councilors at the August 2024 Ordinary Meeting highlighted a number of areas identified from the community survey that led to a recommendation not to continue the trial,’’ Ms Jacobs said.

“Based on the overall review, Council agreed to end the trial on September 30, 2024, and reassess the Sunshine Coast’s readiness for e-transport hire offerings in 2026.” 

Areas of concern regarding the e-transport hire trial included:

• style of usage of the e-mobility devices not meeting expectations
• community feedback and sentiment towards e-scooters – both private and hired – attracting a mixed response
• general community concerns relating to regulation, usage, and rider behaviour with safety being a primary area of concern
• impacts to amenity within the community.

Community engagement

Council invited the community to have their say by completing a survey between Tuesday, May 7, and Monday June 3, 2024.

The survey was distributed via email and delivered to more than 12,000 residents within the trial area.

Feedback received through Council’s engagement activities helped evaluate how the trial was received by the community.

The majority of residents who completed the survey said they did not want the e-transport hire trial to continue past the agreed 18-month period.

As at June 30, 2024, more than 130,000 trips were taken, with riders travelling over 260,000km during the trial period.

Further information about the trial can be found on Council’s webpage.

What now?

Council will continue advocacy and engagement with the State Government to improve the safety of e-mobility devices and their use.

Monitoring the impacts of the increased use and popularity of e-mobility on the Sunshine Coast will also continue, as part of the development of the Transport Network Safety Plan and the Transport Asset Management Plan.

This will include pedestrian safety and use of engineering controls such as prohibited areas and speed limits.