Christchurch's scooter market heats up with the arrival of Beam

Friday, 21 June 2019

Beam scooters are launching in Christchurch on Monday.

Competition is coming to Christchurch's electric scooter market with newcomer Beam hitting the streets on Monday.

The Singapore-based company will start off with 100 scooters on the streets, working up to its 300-scooter cap in the coming weeks.

Singapore-based scooter company Beam will have 100 scooter on the streets of Christchurch on Monday.

It ends California-based Lime's monopoly on the streets of the Garden City. The company has a permit for 1000 scooters in Christchurch.

Beam will be able to compete on price: they charge $1 plus 30 cents a minute. Lime used to charge the same amount, but suddenly hiked its prices to $1 plus 38 cents a minute in June.

*** Lime's Christchurch electric scooter monopoly may soon be over

More than 900,000 trips have been taken on Lime scooters in Christchurch since its launch in late 2018.

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However, they cannot compete on speed: Beam's normal operating speed of 15kmh is far below Lime's top speed of 27kmh.

Flamingo scooters will hit the streets of Christchurch in September.

Beam's head of operations Locky Cooper said Beam had 21 full-time jobs filled in the region, with more than 35 Beam chargers also on the books.

He encouraged people to compare the Beam and Lime offerings, and said Beam's safety, value and partnership with the community made them stand out.

'For the first time people in Christchurch will be able to experience a real trial because they have more than one provider and more than one type of scooter.'

Staff would be examining transport data on an hourly basis to make sure the scooters were put into areas that best served the population.

Riders who left the scooters in designated parking zones would be given credit for their next rides.

Lime Asia Pacific regional director of government strategy and policy Mitchell Price said Lime welcomed the competition and had a strong supporter base in Christchurch.

He said there had been more than 900,000 trips taken in Christchurch since Lime launched in late 2018.

Price said Lime hoped any other operators would be at the same standard as Lime.

He said the company wanted to have a healthy working relationship with newcomers as they would be competitors on the streets but it was important all operators were aligned when talking to authorities.

A third company, Wellington-based Flamingo, plans to launch on September 1. Flamingo also has a permit for 300 scooters and charges $1 plus 30 cents a minute. That will fill Christchurch's scooter limit of 1600.

Co-founder Nick Hyland said Flamingo was committed to the safety of its riders, and riders could expect some unique features such as an in-app safety tutorial.

Central City Business Association manager Paul Lonsdale said there was the potential for cluttering up footpaths, and all footpath users including those with mobility issues or visual impairments had to be considered.

'The council just need to closely monitor what happens when the new operators starts so any emerging issues can be resolved quickly.'

Councillor Deon Swiggs said people had embraced the micro mobility movement quite well, and having competition would be good for the scooter market.

He did not think there would be issues with the number of scooters overwhelming the streets, as council staff had considered this before issuing the permits and would be monitoring it.