Paint it purple: Ousted e-scooter company returns to Brisbane in merger

Sydney Morning Herald

7 days ago

Banned micromobility company Beam Mobility is returning to Brisbane streets from Monday night, but not as you may expect, as the global e-scooter and e-bike hire company merges with one of its key competitors.
Neuron Mobility announced on Monday it had merged its Australian operations with Beam, and expected to return 700 purple – albeit rebranded and refurbished – e-scooters to Brisbane streets.
'After years of competing head to head, we're delighted to bring together the strengths of both companies under the Neuron banner,' Neuron Australia and New Zealand general manager Jayden Bryant said.
The former Beam vehicles are refitted with Neuron proprietary technology and safety features, sport orange branding and accents, and are bookable through the Neuron app.
Beam had previously been selling its old fleet to private e-mobility riders, after it was ousted last year after the company allegedly defrauded the Brisbane City Council with hundreds of 'ghost' machines.
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The council revealed at the time a months-long investigation had shown the micromobility company exceeding its vehicle cap of 1800 vehicles by about 500 per day.
It claimed the company misreported its number of active e-scooters and e-bikes more than 250,000 times in the year leading up to July 22, 2024, amounting to a shortfall in fees to the council of more than $330,000. Beam scooters were then replaced by Neuron.
Brisbane has fluctuated between the two Singaporean micromobility companies and San Francisco-based Lime since 2019, when it first brought e-scooters onto Brisbane streets.