E-scooter Safety and Trial FAQs

The Victorian Government partnered with the City of Melbourne, City of Yarra, City of Port Phillip and the regional City of Ballarat to run E-scooter trials following a targeted expression of interest process in 2021.

Why is a trial extension needed?

Broadly, data gathered during the trial has indicated that most e-scooter riders are doing the right thing and using them safely.

However, we know there have been some incidents resulting in injuries and damage.

That’s why we want to take the next six months to closely monitor compliance and enforcement and ensure that the settings we have in place are appropriate before we introduce permanent e-scooter regulations here in Victoria.

During this period, we’ll increase efforts to educate e-scooter riders and the wider community about rules around e-scooter use and how they can safely form part of transport options in Victoria.

What data was collected over the last two years?

We’ve collected huge amounts of data from more than 8 million e-scooter trips completed across the state over the past two years.

Reviewing that data is what has led to the decision to extend the trial by an additional six months.

What the data tells us is that while the overwhelming majority of riders are doing the right thing, there is still opportunity to make things safer for everyone before we introduce permanent legislation

That’s what we will aim to do over the next six months, via increased education campaigns, data gathering and community engagement.

This will mean that when we introduce permanent regulations for e-scooters in Victoria, we can be sure that we’re doing so with the right settings in place. 

How will you increase safety and compliance?

DTP will be continuing to review the large amount of data collected throughout the trial and seeing what improvements could be made in terms of safety and compliance.

On top of this, we’ll take the next six months to increase efforts around education and community engagement to make sure that everyone, including e-scooter riders, understand what behaviours are and are not safe.

How do e-scooters improve personal safety? 

Surveys undertaken by DTP revealed that some people, especially women, reported feeling significantly safer travelling home on an e-scooter at night compared with walking.

How are you addressing concerns of people living with disability?

It is illegal to ride e-scooters in footpaths in Victoria and significant penalties apply.

Even if e-scooters are not being ridden on footpaths, parking of e-scooters on footpaths can create an access issue for people with reduced mobility, disability, or vision impairment.

DTP is monitoring the development of footpath detection technology with interest, which shows promising potential and will drastically improve footpath compliance if/when it can be rolled out at scale.

Councils have already begun trialling designated parking areas for e-scooters, and councils will continue to collaborate with operators and the state government to address issues such as footpath clutter and poor parking.

Do e-scooter hire schemes support the economy?

Yes. Operator survey data revealed that 63 per cent of respondents in the metro area reported making a purchase immediately before or after their trip, while 70 per cent of respondents in Ballarat reported a purchase.