Hawke's Bay Today reporter Doug Laing tries out the Beam scooters in Napier for the first time. Video / Paul Taylor
Beam Scooters has stopped operating in Napier after a two-year trial that began in November 2022.
Beam’s operations were previously deactivated in Auckland, Wellington and Brisbane over allegations of misconduct.
Beam Scooters has stopped operating in Napier.
The e-scooter hire company, which allows people to rent scooters by the minute from their smartphones, started a Napier operation as a two-year trial in November 2022, partnering with Napier City Council with the aim to bring “shared micromobility” to Napier.
A council spokeswoman confirmed Beam Scooters stopped their operations in Napier at the beginning of November.
When contacted by Hawke’s Bay Today, a Beam Scooters spokesperson had no further information regarding why.
The pause follows Auckland Council ordering all of Beam’s e-scooters to be deactivated in August, following allegations the number of the company’s e-scooters on the city’s streets went beyond its operating limit.
Auckland Council also claimed Beam manipulated its software to keep tabs on e-scooter numbers.
Last month, Beam also had its contract with Brisbane City Council cancelled after another allegation the company had “significantly” under-reported the size of its fleet in the city.
The council claimed there were over 222,000 occasions between July 2023 and July 2024 in which the e-scooter hire company did not report all hirable devices.
