Partnering with our cities: Neuron reflects on a remarkable 2024!

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Partnering with our cities: Neuron reflects on a remarkable 2024!

We continue to build our business based on trust and innovation, helping cities transition to greener, cleaner modes of transportation

This year, our riders completed 5.9 million trips, covering over 11 million kilometers. With 45% of these journeys replacing car trips, we’ve avoided approximately 800 tonnes of CO2 emissions. We maintained our position as the leading operator in Australia and Canada while continuing to operate with transparency, integrity, and accountability in over 30 cities across four markets. We are deeply grateful for the trust our council partners and riders have placed in us.

In early December, we returned to Brisbane as its longest-serving e-scooter provider, bringing renewed energy and commitment after a brief hiatus. In Canada, we relaunched at the start of the season in 16 cities while also expanding to Edmonton and St. Albert, extending the benefits of micromobility to more communities. Our safety-first, collaborative approach has been widely recognised, with councils extending or renewing our services in cities including Wollongong and Busselton in Australia, and Newcastle in the UK, amongst others.

In Melbourne, we enhanced safety with our proprietary ‘ScootSafe Vision’ system, equipping e-scooters with AI-powered cameras to detect footpath riding and alert riders to pedestrians in their path. Partnering with Launch Housing, we offered free rides to their staff and organised guided e-scooter tours to raise awareness about homelessness. While the City of Yarra and City of Port Phillip continue to benefit from our services, operations in the City of Melbourne are currently paused as we focus on a reset and potential return to the city.

Safety remained a major focus as we conducted in-person and online rider education campaigns for the fourth consecutive year in partnership with road safety charities worldwide. During Road Safety Week, we emphasised safe sidewalks (or footpaths/pavements) to protect the wider community. For Helmet Safety Awareness Week, we equipped our e-scooters with golden helmets and extra incentives to promote their use. We then rounded off 2024 with our Festive ScootSafe campaign, sharing top tips for safe riding during the holiday season.

To help cities achieve their sustainability goals and reduce their reliance on cars, we released localised versions of our ‘Unlocking the Potential of Rental E-scooters’ report for Canada and New Zealand. These reports explore best practices for running an e-scooter program, offering insights into rider demographics, technological innovations, and the social, economic and environmental benefits of e-scooters.

Finally, closing off the year on a high note: our CEO, Zach Wang, was named EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2024 Singapore. This recognition is a testament to his leadership, work ethic, and our mission of connecting people and places in a safe, convenient, and fun way.

As 2024 comes to an end, we are excited to continue serving our wonderful cities and loyal riders in 2025. Thank you for the trust and support, and we can’t wait to ride with everyone again in the new year!

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Neuron launches fourth Festive ScootSafe campaign to promote sober scooting!

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Neuron launches fourth Festive ScootSafe campaign to promote sober scooting!

We are thrilled to launch our fourth-annual Festive ScootSafe campaign on December 2 across our global markets. In partnership with the Australian Road Safety Foundation (ARSF) and the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) in Canada, our goal is to raise awareness about the dangers of drinking and riding e-scooters and to share essential safety tips for the Christmas and New Year holidays.

During the festive season alcohol consumption can double, with many people more likely to overindulge than any other time of the year. While most drink responsibly, those who don’t risk hangovers, reduced productivity, strained relationships, and the temptation to drink and drive, with potentially life-changing consequences. To combat riding under the influence, at key times over the festive season, Neuron users will be required to take an in-app cognitive reaction test before starting their trip. Riders who fail the test will be locked out of the service.

Together with ARSF and TIRF, here are our top safety tips for riding during the holiday season:

  • Don’t ride while intoxicated. Plan a safe way home by taking public transport, catching a lift or walking.
  • Ride to the conditions. Use good judgement and ride slowly when navigating through areas with high foot traffic, low visibility, or slippery or icy surfaces due to winter.
  • Wear a helmet to significantly reduce the risk of sustaining a severe injury by a massive 70%. 
  • Stay off your phone and remove earphones to avoid distractions. Keep both hands on e-scooter handlebars, stay alert and fully focused on the surroundings.
  • Give way to pedestrians and mobility devices, such as wheelchairs. Ring the bell to alert others before overtaking.
  • Follow local parking guidelines. Ensure e-scooters are parked properly so they don’t block pathways or disrupt pedestrian flow.

Throughout the campaign, our Safety Ambassadors will be at key e-scooter locations to promote safe riding and parking. We encourage riders to visit our online ScootSafe Academy for incentivised quizzes, videos, and games. Keep an eye on our social media for these festive safe riding tips but, most importantly, let’s enjoy the festivities safely and responsibly!

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Neuron celebrates fourth Helmet Safety Awareness Week with golden helmets!

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Neuron celebrates fourth Helmet Safety Awareness Week with golden helmets!

Riders who spot and wear our special edition golden helmet when riding a Neuron e-scooter stand to win free trips

We are kicking off our fourth Helmet Safety Awareness Week from 21 to 29 September across Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the UK. This year’s campaign, also referred to as ‘Golden Helmet Week’, will be launched in partnership with the Australian Road Safety Foundation (ARSF) and the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) in Canada. 

Wearing a helmet when riding an e-scooter is a legal requirement in Australia and some cities across Canada, but they are also strongly advised in New Zealand and the UK. To build on our ongoing efforts to promote helmet use, we are committing up to AU$100,000 globally through helmet incentives, in-person and online rider education, as well as a rider competition.

During the campaign, we will be equipping golden helmets on a handful of e-scooters in each city for the ‘Golden Helmet Challenge’. Simply find one, unlock it from the e-scooter’s app-controlled helmet lock, then wear them to protect yourself, and stand a chance to win a free trip on us. For an extra bonus, take an in-app ‘helmet selfie’ to earn credits for future rides.

Our Safety Ambassadors will be out in greater numbers at e-scooter hotspots or at ScootSafe events throughout the week, reminding users to follow the riding rules. We will also be promoting safe riding through a series of safety videos on social media and rider emails, as well as through incentivised quizzes, videos and games on our online ScootSafe Academy.

Helmets are one of the simplest and most effective ways to prevent serious injury in the unlikely event of an accident. Everyone should wear a helmet to protect themselves during Helmet Safety Awareness Week and beyond!

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Neuron Uses this Year’s Road Safety Week to Focus on Safe Sidewalks

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Neuron Uses this Year’s Road Safety Week to Focus on Safe Sidewalks

During this year’s Road Safety Week, we are highlighting how riding and parking e-scooters responsibly can help make the footpaths safer for everyone

To mark our annual Road Safety Week, which starts on 5th May in Australia and the UK and later in the month in Canada and New Zealand, we will be highlighting to riders how they can make footpaths (or sidewalks and pavements, depending on where you live) as safe as possible for the entire community.

This year’s campaign will be run in collaboration with our fantastic safety and accessibility partners, including the Traffic Injury Research Foundation, the Australian Road Safety Foundation and the Royal National Institute for Blind People (RNIB). 

The rules as to whether e-scooters should be ridden on the footpaths or roads vary from city to city. In Australia and Canada many cities allow footpath riding with some notable exceptions, like Melbourne for example. Whereas in the UK it is strictly prohibited and riders must stick to cycle lanes and low speed roads.

We will be reinforcing local footpath riding rules and parking etiquette through social media, rider communication, in-person activities, and our online ScootSafe Academy to make footpaths easier to navigate for pedestrians, particularly older people and those with disabilities.

Our e-scooters use a range of technologies, including our groundbreaking AR Parking Assistant, which uses augmented reality combined with geofencing and high-accuracy GPS to help riders find approved parking spots throughout our cities. These technologies, along with Neuron’s end-of-trip photo audit and our e-scooter topple detection, are just a few examples of cutting-edge technology we use to safely control our e-scooters.

Thank you to all of our riders who follow the rules. Let’s all continue to do our part in keeping our footpaths safe and accessible for everyone.

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Neuron’s new report shows how e-scooters are supporting prosperity and accessibility in New Zealand

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Neuron’s new report shows how e-scooters are supporting prosperity and accessibility in New Zealand

New Zealand's most comprehensive study on rental e-scooters finds 74% of Kiwi’s support making helmets mandatory for e-scooters to improve safety

We’re excited to launch a report titled Unlocking the Potential of E-Scooters in New Zealand: Supporting Prosperity and Accessibility. The research explores gender differences in e-scooter adoption, accessibility for people with disabilities, perceptions of safety, and also the environmental and economic benefits.

As well as the positive impact Neuron’s e-scooters are having on cities, the research also shows that nine out of 10 people in New Zealand believe rider and pedestrian safety is crucial when using an e-scooter. Surprisingly, 38% of New Zealanders were unsure as to whether helmets were required by law for e-scooter riders. Eight out of 10 people believe that helmets are very important, even though they are only ‘strongly advised’ rather than legally required in New Zealand.

To increase helmet use, 74% of New Zealanders believe helmets should be made mandatory, 55% believe rental e-scooter companies should provide helmets, 55% would like to see increased rider education, and 37% believe more incentives are needed to improve safety. 

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