Most Kiwis want e-scooter helmets mandatory

Kiwis say e-scooter safety is crucial with 74% supporting mandatory helmets while riding e-scooters to increase their use and improve safety.

New Zealand’s young female riders are leading the world, says a Neuron Mobility study Unlocking the Potential of E-Scooters in New Zealand: Supporting Prosperity and Accessibility.

About 37% of New Zealand’s riders are female with 70% being younger women, aged 18-34 years, the highest proportion of this group worldwide, says Neuron, adding a significant number of riders have a disability (6%) and the data shows they depend on e-scooters more than riders without a disability.

Around 60% of New Zealand e-scooter riders are male, while the most common age range for riders globally is 25-34 years.

Kiwi’s commute using e-scooters more than anywhere else in the world with 55% of e-scooter trips taken in New Zealand to commute to work or study. This is higher than the global average where one third (33%) of trips are for commuting, says Neuron.

The study points to rental e-scooters boosting local economies, with each Neuron e-scooter contributing $13,500 to local economies annually, and riders spending $38.50 a trip with 52% if all e-scooter trips resulting in a purchase from a local business.

Some 61% of riders spent $20 or more on their most recent trip, while 11% of trips would not have happened if the e-scooters were unavailable, meaning local businesses would have missed out on valuable sales, says Neuron.

About 38% of riders made purchases at shopping venues, 21% at a restaurant or cafe, and 12% at a leisure and recreational venue like the gym, local event, or attraction.

E-scooters are also helping to boost the night-time economy while supporting shift workers, with 19% of trips happening between 10pm and 6am.

Neuron’s research shows nine out of 10 people in New Zealand believe rider and pedestrian safety is crucial when using an e-scooter.

While about 38% of New Zealanders were unsure as to whether helmets were required by law for e-scooter riders, eight out of 10 people believe helmets are very important, even though they are only ‘strongly advised’ rather than legally required in New Zealand, says Neuron.

About 55% believe rental e-scooter companies should provide helmets, 55% would like to see increased rider education, and 37% believe more incentives are needed.

The report also considered how rental e-scooters have helped to make cities more liveable, 97% of respondents believing Neuron has benefited their city and 36% of trips have replaced a car journey.

“We’re delighted that the research shows Neuron’s e-scooters are boosting local economies and benefiting local businesses,” says Neuron Mobility Australia and New Zealand general manager Jayden Bryant.

“Rental e-scooters enhance local public transport networks, provide essential transport for the night-time economy, and make cities more liveable.”

Bryant says all Neuron’s e-scooters have an integrated helmet.

The study findings come from Neuron’s New Zealand rider surveys in 2023, as well as a series of rider focus groups and trip data collected from Christchurch, Dunedin, Auckland, and Hamilton.

The safety perception included more than 1000 respondents across four cities with ongoing e-scooter schemes.

Neuron operates in Christchurch and Dunedin in New Zealand, as well as 15 locations in Australia, 17 in Canada, and Newcastle in the United Kingdom.