E-scooter trial ready to hit the road in Ballarat

The City of Ballarat and leading e‐scooter operator Neuron Mobility have announced that e‐scooters will soon be available to hire on Ballarat’s streets. 

The 12‐month trial ‐ a first for regional Victoria ‐ is due to start on 15 December and will see a 250‐strong fleet of Neuron’s purpose‐built e-scooters deployed to cover a 25 square kilometre riding area including the Ballarat Central, Ballarat North, Lake Wendouree, Eureka, Golden Point and Redan areas.  

Neuron has been issued a permit to operate in Ballarat for the period of the State Government-led trial, bringing extensive experience from their existing operations across Australia. 

Neuron operates globally as well as in a range of capital and regional Australian cities including Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra, Darwin, Bundaberg, Townsville and shortly in Hobart and Launceston. As a trial partner, Neuron bring a strong focus on safety, established track record operating across Australian cities, and their operations will provide the data that both the City of Ballarat and Victorian Government need to evaluate the trial and determine next steps. 

If the trial is considered successful, a competitive tender process would open for ongoing e-scooter and other micro-mobility opportunities for Ballarat moving forward. 

The e‐scooter trial will provide City of Ballarat residents and tourists with a safe, convenient, and socially distanced way to travel.  

The trial will create around 25 local jobs over the next 12 months.  

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Daniel Moloney said the trial will be great for Ballarat’s tourism and local economy.  

“We are delighted to have appointed Neuron Mobility as the city’s provider for Ballarat’s e‐scooter trial,” he said.

“E-scooters can offer a safe, convenient, and inexpensive transport option to see our wonderful city. Elsewhere they have been proven to reduce short car trips, congestion, and also emissions. 

“We’ll be carefully rolling out e‐scooters so they integrate in the best possible way with the city. Safety is paramount for us, and we’ll be controlling the e‐scooters with GPS and geofencing technology and will be designating where they can be ridden and parked, and how fast they can travel in different areas.” 

Zachary Wang, CEO of Neuron Mobility, said the company is thrilled to be bringing their e-scooters to Ballarat.  

“We are delighted to have been issued a permit to operate in Ballarat as the city leads the way for Regional Victoria. 

“We look forward to partnering with the Council to deliver a safe and convenient service to help people move around the city. 

“Safety is our top priority, it dictates our e‐scooter design and also the way we operate them. Our e‐scooters are packed with cutting‐edge safety features and we know from our existing operations around Australia that riders really appreciate this.” 

The e-scooters will be available from select locations around Ballarat once the trial commences on 15 December 2021.  

Visit www.ballarat.vic.gov.au/escooters for more information.