E-scooters coming to Napier streets as Beam partners with city council

Beam electronic scooters, pictured in Whanganui earlier this year, will be available for hire on Napier streets by the end of the month. Photo / NZME

Napier is about to catch up with the ride-and-drop e-scooter age with the arrival of the motorised, hired two-wheelers by the end of the month – four years after they first appeared in New Zealand.

Beam announced the launch late on Friday afternoon, saying the scooters will be available for hire via the Beam app, available for download on Apple and Google Play stores.

A statement said it is partnering with the Napier City Council to bring "shared micromobility" to Napier, starting from a small initial launch in a two-year trial, expanding to up to 200 e-scooters across the city in the warmer months of the year.

Beam is the largest micromobility operator in Asia Pacific, with operations in New Zealand across Auckland, Wellington, Palmerston North, Whanganui and Whangārei.

Beam Head of Sustainability (ANZ) Frederick Conquer said the company is thrilled to be piloting Napier's first shared micromobility operations, and to be the first to bring the "industry-leading" e-scooters to the region.

Napier council acting chief executive Richard Munneke said the council is excited about the arrival of e-scooters in Napier providing a new and fun way to get around "our beautiful city".

"They have been a successful addition to other cities around the country so we are confident they will be a valuable addition to our city too," he said.

He said the council has been working closely with Beam to ensure there are clear guidelines in place for scooter-user safety.

"We are continuously focused on mitigating the impacts of climate change," he said.

"Making e-scooters available is a great initiative to encourage people to opt for more climate-friendly modes of transport while also reducing dependency on cars. Now that cruise ships have returned, e-scooters also allow visitors to our city a means to easily get around our local attractions."