This National Homelessness Week in Australia (1-7 August), we’re pleased to announce our partnership with Launch Housing, Melbourne’s largest Specialist Homelessness Organisation.

As part of the partnership, we are providing Launch Housing staff with unlimited, free Neuron rides in Melbourne. Our e-scooter passes allow their case workers and other staff to have sustainable, convenient and free transport, so they can move between offices and undertake outreach with the homeless community. The passes are also a wellbeing initiative for a team working in a challenging industry, providing them with an opportunity to enjoy travelling via e-scooter in their day to day life. 

Launch Housing is an independent Melbourne-based community organisation passionately committed to ending homelessness. Over 400 staff across 15 locations in metropolitan Melbourne work around the clock with the shared belief that there is no person who can’t be housed, and there’s no community that can’t end homelessness.

During National Homelessness Week, we will also be reminding riders how they can take action if they see someone sleeping rough while they are scooting around the city. Neuron’s in-app messaging will present riders with the opportunity to be directed to the Launch Housing website, where they can access information on how they can help in the moment and also create long term change.

From today (Saturday, 30 July) our safety-first e-scooters will be available to hire throughout Sydney’s Western Parklands over a three-month trial. We’re thrilled to partner with Transport for New South Wales and Western Sydney Parklands for the state’s much-anticipated e-scooter trials, which are expected to cover more cities over the coming months.

A fleet of 50 e-scooters will join Bungarribee Park, located behind the city’s iconic Sydney Zoo. Safety is at the heart of everything we do and we look forward to delivering a safe and efficient service for locals and visitors alike. Our e-scooters are packed with cutting-edge safety features, including the world’s first app controlled helmet lock, GPS tracking and geofences, a 000 Emergency Button and Voice Guidance. We know from experience in other cities that riders really appreciate this. 

As the only shared micromobility provider who operates in every Australian capital city, we are excited to see our e-scooters bring more benefits to more parts of the country and look forward to more cities in NSW commencing trials soon. Elsewhere, our rider research shows that 85% of users believe Neuron has had a positive impact on the city – citing sustainability, affordability and convenience as some of the driving factors. We also know that depending on the city, 40-60% of e-scooter trips replace car journeys and on average seven out of 10 trips result in a purchase, helping to boost local economies.

Riders will be able to book and use the e-scooters through Neuron’s user-friendly app, which can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play and set up in a matter of minutes. Single trips will cost AU$1 to unlock the e-scooter and 45 cents per minute thereafter. Day passes will also be available for $15, which will allow riders to ride as much as they want with no additional unlocking fee.

At Neuron, we’re proud to partner with a number of not-for-profit disability and indigenous employment services to help ensure all abilities have a role in the workplace. Together with Recovery Your Way, an organisation that specialises in supporting and coaching those with disabilities so they can strengthen their independent living skills, we are thrilled to share the story of Natasha Noakes (Tash).

Tash is a proud Merranunggu Wagiman and former wheelchair basketballer, born with dislocated hips, referred to as developmental dysplasia of the hip, and bilateral talipes, meaning her feet were turned in, which limited movement of her legs. Through our partnership with Recovery Your Way, Tash connected with Neuron and has been working as a Warehouse Support Technician in Darwin since April 2022. Tash has quickly progressed in her role and is now responsible for repairing and servicing e-scooters and e-bikes.

Our distinctive orange e-scooters will remain in Bundaberg and Bargara for another 12 months following a permit extension from Bundaberg Regional Council. Neuron’s safety-first e-scooters have been operating in Bundaberg since April 2021 and have been embraced by the community. 

Since launching, our riders have racked up close to 800,000 kilometres eliminating an estimated 56 tonnes of CO2 by providing an alternative to short car trips. E-scooters have proven to be a popular form of transport over the 12 months, with two riding area expansions and the addition of 75 e-scooters in September 2021, bringing the total number of e-scooters in the region to 325. 

We’ve seen a range of benefits since our e-scooters were introduced, from helping tourists explore their city, to extending the range of locals so they can further support local businesses. Our rider survey has shown e-scooters are boosting the local economy, 62% of rides resulted in a purchase at a business, and 24% of trips wouldn’t have happened at all if the e-scooters weren’t available.

We look forward to continuing to support the city to scoot to their favourite local spots in a safe, convenient and fun way!