Hobart Alderman Louise Bloomfield says the council’s decision to scrap hire e-scooters should have happened much sooner.
The City of Hobart this week confirmed it will end its mixed e-scooter and e-bike hire scheme and move to an e-bike-only model.
The council said “ongoing regulatory, safety and behavioural concerns” drove the decision, with inappropriate parking on footpaths singled out as the most common complaint from residents.
Bloomfield was one of three councillors present at the February 2025 meeting who voted against continuing the scheme. The motion to keep it passed 7–3.
“This is a decision that should have come sooner,” Bloomfield said.
“For a long time I have pointed out that rental e-scooters were creating obvious safety risks in Hobart and too often those concerns were brushed aside as if they were minor or temporary.”
Bloomfield said riders without helmets, two people sharing one scooter and unsafe behaviour around pedestrians had been common sights across the city.
She pointed to injury data from the Queensland Children’s Hospital, which recorded 64 children aged 16 and under being admitted with serious e-scooter injuries. More than 65% required surgery.
Councillor Louise Elliot also voted against the scheme last year and has welcomed the change.
“I expressed concerns around the hire e-scooters being dumped, blocking access and the huge injury stats for years,” Elliot said in a social media post.
“I spoke about the serious risks of hire e-scooters from the moment I was first elected (and before). Unfortunately some people are slow on the uptake.”
At the February 2025 meeting, Elliot told the chamber the data did not support continuing the scheme.
She said most scooter trips replaced walking rather than driving, undermining the climate case.
She also raised safety concerns, including severe head injuries and riders with unclipped helmets.
Transport committee chair Ryan Posselt on Tuesday said the shift to e-bikes should lift standards.
“An e-bike only model is expected to improve safety outcomes and better integrate with existing cycling infrastructure,” Posselt said.
“E-bikes also support active transport, delivering public health benefits alongside emissions reduction.”
A tender for a new operator will open soon, with the council looking for smaller, compact e-bikes suited to Hobart’s narrow streets and footpaths.
Hobart’s current fleet is run by Beam, which has held the sole operator licence since March 2024.
