The City of Stirling is moving to extend its popular e-scooter hire program for another two years, making a decisive move just one week before the findings of a major state parliamentary inquiry into eRideable safety are released.
Council Vote Precedes Critical Inquiry Findings
City administration has formally recommended that councillors approve a two-year contract extension for the hire scheme, which first launched in Stirling in January 2024. The council is scheduled to vote on the proposal at its meeting on November 25, while the Parliamentary inquiry's recommendations for future regulation and enforcement will be revealed on December 4.
This timing highlights the city's confidence in its current program despite broader safety concerns being investigated at the state level. The current operation includes 250 e-scooters available for public hire across key suburbs including Scarborough, Trigg, Watermans Bay, Karrinyup and Innaloo, all managed through the city's contract with provider Beam Mobility.
Safety Data Versus Broader Concerns
In a detailed report, City of Stirling officers expressed strong confidence in the program's safety record, stating that hireable e-scooters present minimal public safety risk when properly managed. The report specifically highlighted the effectiveness of built-in safety features like speed-limiting technology and geofencing in managing rider behaviour in high-traffic zones.
This optimistic assessment comes despite a tragic incident in May 2025 when a pedestrian in Perth's CBD died after being struck by a woman riding a privately rented e-scooter unrelated to Beam Mobility. That incident prompted both the City of Perth and City of Vincent to suspend their e-scooter hire schemes indefinitely and triggered the current parliamentary inquiry.
Stirling CEO Steven Rodic acknowledged the tragedy in his submission to the inquiry but stated the city does not support a blanket ban on hireable e-scooters. "Current data provided to the City of Stirling by Beam Mobility does not support a blanket ban of hireable e-scooters," Mr Rodic stated.
The data appears compelling: Beam Mobility reported only four minor injuries out of approximately 80,000 rides within the City of Stirling during 2024.
Medical Concerns and Infrastructure Challenges
However, not all perspectives align with the city's positive assessment. Royal Perth Hospital trauma service head surgeon Dr Dieter Weber told PerthNow earlier this year that his unit deals with e-scooter injuries daily, describing everything from minor concussions to severe internal organ damage, brain injuries, and spinal cord injuries with lasting impacts.
"Some of these patients are the riders, but unfortunately, others are also involved in this are innocent people that happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time," Dr Weber noted, highlighting risks to both riders and pedestrians.
Mr Rodic acknowledged that congestion on shared-use paths represents a growing concern and called for state government support in funding infrastructure upgrades. "To assist local governments with the significant cost of upgrading pathways, the city suggests that the State Government explore the feasibility of establishing a new infrastructure funding program dedicated to pathway/cycleways and improvements to accommodate eRideables," he stated in his submission.
The CEO also drew a clear distinction between hireable devices and private e-scooters, noting that private models often exceed legal speed limits and present greater enforcement challenges due to their lack of built-in safety features. "The city supports stronger enforcement and clearer classification of eRideables to address concerns around illegal modifications and non-compliant imports," he said.
While the City of Stirling cannot disclose specific revenue figures due to commercial confidentiality, the City of Perth previously revealed its e-scooter share scheme generated $569,319 (excluding GST) over 22 months, suggesting similar economic benefits for Stirling.
As the first local government in Perth to trial hireable e-scooters following the introduction of eRideables legislation in December 2021, Stirling officials believe they have developed valuable operational insights that support continuing the program while awaiting broader state-wide regulatory guidance.
