Shared E-Scooter Trial

From 5 April 2023, privately owned e-scooters can be used under strict trial rules across Victoria. The State Government trial of e-scooter shared schemes has been extended until April 2024.

This decision follows the trial of hire e-scooters in Ballarat and Melbourne, which sought to understand the safety implications of the transport mode, and now will monitor how both hire and private e-scooters are being used.

The rules for private e-scooters allow for people 16 years and over to ride, require users to wear a helmet, travel at maximum speeds of 20 km/h and ride on local roads that have a speed limit of up to 60km/h.

See more on the VicRoads website

The Victorian State Government announced in September 2021 City of Ballarat, along with the Metropolitan councils of City of Melbourne, City of Port Phillip, and City of Yarra, would be the locations for a trial utilising shared electric scooters for public use.

The trial will run from 15 December 2021 until 31 March 2023 to determine if e-scooters are an appropriate permanent fixture of the Ballarat and wider Victorian transport network.

250 purpose‐built e‐scooters will cover a 25 square kilometre riding area including Ballarat Central, Ballarat North, Lake Wendouree, Eureka Golden Point and Redan.

City of Ballarat modelling indicates this trial will be a valuable and viable part of the people-centred transport mix for central Ballarat. Ballarat joins other Australian cities currently running e-scooter trials such as Darwin, Brisbane and Adelaide.

The Minister for Roads and Road Safety has set up an Oversight Panel and Steering Committee to provide oversight and make recommendations at the conclusion of the trial.

Riders will be able to book and use the e‐scooters through the Neuron Mobility app available on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

E-scooter riders will be able to end their trip at one of the many Designated Parking Stations located throughout the riding area. Stations can be located in the Neuron app and riders will not be able to end a trip outside of these locations. 

You can request a Designated Parking Station at a specific location by contacting Neuron's local support team at ballaratsupport@neuron.sg or 03 9034 9666. The Neuron team will assess the suitability of the parking area and aim to make it available on the Neuron app.

The Pay Per Ride rate from 1 August 2023 is $0 to unlock + $0.31 per minute.

For the most up-to-date pricing and promotions, please check the Neuron app. There are also Concession Passes available for low-income users. 

It is not necessary to have a licence to ride a participating e-scooter, however drink and drug driving restrictions that apply to other motorists will also apply to e-scooter riders. Riders in breach of these restrictions face heavy fines or risk losing their licence.

The e-scooters have a weight limit of 140kg (total weight, i.e. rider and cargo).

Geofencing technology will also control where e‐scooters are ridden and parked, and how fast they can travel in certain areas. In Ballarat this will include a No Riding Zone in Bridge Mall, and a No Parking Zone around Lake Wendouree. There will also be various slow zones in popular places such as the Armstrong Street Dining Precinct. 

As part of the trial, e-scooters will be restricted to bicycle lanes, bicycle paths, separated and shared paths, and roads with a maximum speed of 50kph. A maximum BAC of 0.05 will be enforced for e-scooter riders. The e-scooters are limited to travel at a maximum of 20km/h.

If you are found to be riding an e-scooter while over 0.05 BAC, you will incur a penalty that effects your licence – licence suspension or cancellation. If you don’t have a licence, a drink or drug driving infringement may also impact your ability to gain a licence in the future.

E-scooters will not be permitted on footpaths and high-speed roads. Where there is interaction between e-scooters and pedestrians, such as on shared paths - e-scooter riders, similar to cyclists, will be expected to slow down and give way to pedestrians.

Riders must be at least 16 years old in Australia and must wear a helmet when riding the e-scooters. The e‐scooters feature an app‐controlled Helmet Lock, which secures a safety helmet to the e‐scooter, electronically releasing it to use at the start of the booking.  

The Department of Transport is working closely with its road safety partners, including consulting Victoria Police and TAC, as part of this trial. 

Riders are covered by Neuron Mobility’s third-party rider liability insurance for e‐scooters that protects and reassure riders as well as the wider community.

Neuron is operating the trial of e-scooters in City of Ballarat. They are responsible for any issues to do with the scooters.
Neuron staff will:

• collect e-scooters and park them at stations within the operating zone
• replace batteries as required
• sanitise vehicles at all touch points to ensure they are COVID safe

Neuron’s 24/7 operations team proactively rebalances over-crowded areas to nearby e-scooter deployment stations.

Contact Neuron to report any lost or found e-scooters or any other scooter-related incident, call 03 9034 9666, use their online bad parking form or email ballaratsupport@neuron.sg

The City of Ballarat has partnered with leading e‐scooter operator Neuron Mobility to provide e-scooters as part of the trial.

Neuron Mobility is one of Australia and New Zealand’s leading e‐scooter operators and was selected due to the company’s strong track record of partnering with councils and leadership when it comes to safety and innovation.

See the rules and regulations about riding e-scooters in Victoria

See the fines and penalties associated with trial e-scooters

Neuron sanitisation teams are working around the clock to keep the e-scooters germ-free, using hospital-grade disinfectant, approved by The Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), to kill a broad range of bacteria and viruses including COVID-19.

There are reminders in the app and we have rider and trip data that can help with contact tracing if required.