Beam’s Auckland e-scooter licence cancelled

The Auckland Council has cancelled micromobility operator Beam’s e-scooter licence in Auckland, following an investigation into concerns raised around the operator’s compliance with licence conditions.  

Information provided to the council indicates Beam has been deploying e-scooters in numbers well above the permitted limit in its licence and providing misleading data to conceal this from monitoring reports, the council alleges. 

Auckland Council licensing and environmental health manager Mervyn Chetty says this represents a serious breach of Beam’s licence conditions. 

“Limits on e-scooter numbers are in place for the safety of other road and footpath users and to minimise nuisance in and around our city,” he says. 

“It appears that Beam found a way to sidestep these requirements, which is very disappointing and has resulted in a loss of trust and confidence in the operator. 

“Beam has not provided a satisfactory response to our concerns, as such we have made the decision to cancel their licence, effective immediately.”

The council has asked that all Beam vehicles be deactivated by 11.59pm Tuesday August 27, and all devices removed from Auckland’s streets by 5pm Friday August 30.

Beam’s licence permits it to deploy up to 1400 e-scooters across Auckland, including 450 in both Tier 1 (CBD) and Tier 2 (inner city), and 500 in Tier 3 (suburban).

To ensure compliance with these limits, the council monitors e-scooter deployment numbers through mobility management platform Ride Report.

The council says it was provided with evidence of anomalies between the reported and actual number of Beam e-scooters operating in Auckland and other cities across Australasia by a concerned private individual on August 2.

The council has since undertaken its own investigation including requesting further analysis by Ride Report, with resulting data received on August 18 consistent with the allegations and the council’s own findings, the council says.

Ride Report’s analysis indicates that between July 26, 2023, and August 15, 2024, Beam consistently exceeded its device allowance by almost 40% of its Tier 1 and Tier 2 allocations, the council alleges.

Following the removal of Beam’s devices, Aucklanders can expect to see an initial drop in the number of rental e-scooters available on the streets, says the council, adding it is exploring options to mitigate the shortfall. 

All Auckland micromobility licences are due to expire on November 3, 2024, and the council is considering applications for the next round of licences which can start operating from November 4, 2024. 

The council says it will be referring the Beam matter to police for further investigation.

It says Ride Report analysis has not found similar activity from other e-mobility providers.