Melbourne City Council has voted 6-4 to ban controversial rental e-scooters, ending contracts with Lime and Neuron amid rising safety risks.
The council claims they were linked to anti-social behaviour, and has given Lime and Neuron 30 days to remove their scooters from the city centre.
“I’m fed up with the bad behaviour and the community safety and risk issues,” Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece told the ABC.
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A two-year trial of the vehicles began in February 2022, with 1,500 Lime and Neuron vehicles placed across Melbourne, Port Phillip and Yarra.
The trial has now ended six months early.
Originally the lord mayor supported the arrival of e-scooters as a mode of transport, but has since “run out of patience”.
The vote followed a surge in safety complaints. Victoria Police has issued 1,964 e-scooter infringements across Victoria between December 2021 and August 2024.
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