Napier e-scooter arrival could spell end for existing business: 'It's probably going to see me off'

Beam e-scooters are coming to Napier. Photo / NZME

A Napier scooter hire business could soon be unviable because of a city council e-scooter deal bringing 200 easy-rides into the city.

Paul Williams, who with wife Sarah operates Napier Scooter Hire, is frustrated by what he feels is the council's lack of consultation with those already in the business in the city.

Williams, who runs about 35 ride-and-return scooters out of rented space opposite the council's Ocean Spa complex in Marine Parade, first got wind of the council's arrangement with international e-scooter provider Beam early last week.

He says it was clearly already a done deal, as confirmed on Friday by a company media
release in conjunction with the council announcing the e-scooters will be in town by the
end of this month.

It has been more than four years since the new mode of wheels was introduced to New Zealand in Auckland by Lime Micromobility.

As councils grappled with rules to govern a new ride-and-park, phone-based app hire craze, e-bikes were also introduced.

Williams says while the rides bring some convenience, they also bring problems around where the scooters are left, or "dumped", and how safe they may be on the roads, footpaths and pathways in the city.

He says his business, a family operation where "the kids" help out in the busiest of times, filled a niche in Napier, and wonders if Napier has only now become an option because the scooters are nearing the end of their time in other cities.

The busy times for the Williams' peak at about 50 ride hires a day, mainly the beachfront Rotary Pathway, stretching north to Westshore and south to Awatoto.

Napier Scooter Hire proprietor Paul Williams is worried about the arrival in town of a new e-scooter hire firm in conjunction with the city council. Photo / Doug Laing

"You would have thought one of the first things they would do would ask the local business," Williams said of the council.

"But it's done, we're not going to stop it, and it's probably going to see me off."

Napier City Council acting CEO Richard Munneke said in Friday's announcement that safety comes first and the council has worked 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, 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," he said.

Council director of infrastructure Debra Stewart said on Tuesday Beam saw an opportunity to run a trial in Napier, to see how the service worked for a population of the city's size.

"They approached us with a request to operate and we granted that request," she said.

"It's an easy fit for the city and it adds to the suite of solutions Napier's using to keep people out of cars," she said.

"Micro mobility is a tool that supports our response to climate change. It's important in reducing vehicle kilometres travelled within the city. Going by foot or by bike is easy in Napier and something we want to encourage."

The Hamilton City Council says that under its Public Places Bylaw 2016 and Code of Practice for Personal Hire Devices, the companies can't operate without a permit and conditions.

The city started with Lime scooters in August 2019, with Neuron arriving a year later but withdrawing earlier this year.

Acting Hamilton City Safe unit director Paul Blewman said Lime has 500 personal hire devices in the city, of which a minimum of 50 must be E-bikes.

He confirmed the council has received some complaints from the public regarding e-scooters blocking footpaths or being dumped by the road.

In the circumstances, the council's compliance officer notifies the company with the intention the company will resolve within 24 hours, although if health and safety is the issue, the company must resolve it within five hours of being notified.

A dysfunctional e-scooter is the responsibility of the company and if the device is unsafe or faulty, the company is required to deactivate and recover it.

The Hamilton spokesman wasn't aware of any complaints in his city about impacts on other hire firms.