Shared E-Bikes Surge as E-Scooters Stall: Australia's Micromobility Divide

Australia's shared e-bike fleet has quadrupled to nearly 25,000 units since late 2024, while e-scooter operations face cuts and heightened scrutiny across multiple cities.

The E-Bike Boom

As of early 2026, Australia's shared e-bike fleet has grown to nearly 25,000—a fourfold increase from late 2024. Lime operates approximately 18,000 of these units.

Sydney Leads the Surge

Sydney's shared e-bike fleet swelled from 13,000 in January to over 20,000, with daily trips rising from 29,000 to more than 40,000 by April. Lime doubled its Sydney fleet in 2025, then doubled again in the four months following new regulations introduced in October 2025.

The City of Sydney reported that shared e-bike trips in the CBD nearly doubled in 2025, reaching 3.7 million. Competitors HelloRide operates 3,000 e-bikes and Ario operates 2,700 e-bikes since late 2024.

Melbourne's Presence

Lime operates 1,200 e-bikes in inner Melbourne and has launched bikes and scooters in the Darebin municipality.

The E-Scooter Decline

Major operators Neuron and Beam collectively reduced their fleets by approximately 10% in 2025, bringing the total to about 12,500 units across 24 locations.

Key Setbacks

• Melbourne: The City of Melbourne terminated its contract with Lime and Neuron in August 2024. Both ceased operations in the City of Yarra in March 2024 after the council increased its daily fee per scooter. Operations continue in the City of Port Phillip.
• Perth: Approximately 1,000 rental e-scooters were removed following a fatal crash. A subsequent inquiry suggested e-mobility could be reintroduced under stringent regulations.
• Bendigo: Beam's 250 scooters were withdrawn due to lower-than-expected ridership.
• Adelaide: The fleet of 2,000 scooters saw a decline in trips from 543,000 to 514,000 between 2024 and 2025.

Industry consultant Stephen Coulter attributed the e-scooter slowdown to "concerns over safety and injuries," suggesting state governments could facilitate a return in 2026.

Injury and Safety Data

E-Scooter Injuries in Melbourne

Data from February 2022 to August 2024 across three council areas (Melbourne, Yarra, Port Phillip) reveals:

• 558 total injury reports to companies
• 180 individuals requiring medical treatment
• 16 hospitalized over 24 hours
• 1 life-threatening injury
• 0 fatal crashes
• 37 pedestrian and third-party injuries (15 requiring medical treatment, 4 hospitalized over 24 hours)
• 4,837 complaints about improperly parked scooters
• 407 scooters dumped in water bodies

Lime and Neuron reported 9.4 million trips during the period, with 99.994% of journeys concluding safely. They reported 0.073 serious injuries per 100,000 kilometers traveled.

Separately, Transport Accident Commission (TAC) data shows 13 road deaths in the same council areas, all involving pedestrians hit by vehicles.

E-Bike Incidents in Queensland and NSW

• Queensland (preliminary 2025 police data): E-scooters and personal mobility devices were involved in 10 deaths and 440 crashes. Legal e-bikes (private and rental) were involved in 4 deaths and 235 crashes.
• New South Wales: In the first eight months of 2025, e-bikes were involved in 5 deaths and 250 injuries.

E-Bike Inspection Data in Sydney

Guardian Australia inspected 72 Lime e-bikes in Sydney, assisted by a mechanic:

• Newer models: One newer generation bike was deemed "pretty much perfect" during inspection.
• Missing helmets: 25 older model bikes and 12 newer model bikes were missing helmets, despite a redesigned helmet lock. Riding without a helmet violates Australian law.
• Damage and placement: Many bikes were found on the ground or damaged, including cracked baskets, broken spokes, and dangling lights. Some were carelessly parked across footpaths.
• Basket condition: Damaged baskets were noted, with one containing chicken wings and a cigarette. Trash including dog waste, condoms, and coffee cups was common.
• Mechanical issues: Loose wheel guards on nine bikes. Ten bikes had smooth back tyres with deteriorated treads. One bike had six snapped spokes.

Lime states that street crews inspect bikes for damage during routine checks. Despite these claims, bikes with missing helmets, worn tyres, or damaged spokes were observed being re-racked by Lime crews after inspection.

Local Government Data

The City of Sydney did not provide data.

Regulatory and Operational Responses

New South Wales

• The NSW government introduced a clutter levy to address public safety issues related to e-bike parking.
• The power limit for e-bikes was reduced from 500 to 250 watts.
• NSW Transport Minister John Graham stated that shared e-bike growth "helps with congestion, environment, and cost savings."

Victoria

• In July 2024, the state government declared the hire-scooter trial a success and legalized both hire schemes and privately owned e-scooters.
• Authority has been delegated to councils, leading to fragmentation in regulations.
• Victoria Walks chief executive Sarah Pilgrim stated that expansion should occur only with "effective measures to keep scooters off footpaths, enforceable parking rules, improved on-road riding infrastructure, national safety standards, and no-fault insurance for injured third parties."

Queensland

• The state is pursuing stricter e-bike rules that could impact shared schemes.

Port Phillip Council

Mayor Alex Makin expressed comfort in continuing with Lime and Neuron, citing 31,000 hire scooter trips and five minor incidents in December, asserting usage "appears responsible."

City of Sydney

• Lord Mayor Clover Moore noted that while schemes are popular, "regulation is needed to manage parking and operations."
• Some councils, including City of Sydney, have called for stricter parking regulations.

Legal and Insurance Issues

Early in Melbourne's e-scooter trial, pedestrians injured by hire scooters faced difficulties claiming insurance if the rider was not wearing a helmet or broke other road rules. Nick Mann, principal at Polaris Lawyers, reported numerous inquiries from people seriously injured by e-scooters. While insurance policies have improved, Mann highlighted "critical gaps" that may leave people without coverage.

Adelaide resident Julia Miller suffered a broken shoulder and elbow in April 2022 after being struck by a Lime scooter rider and is seeking compensation.

Company Perspectives

• Lime: Reports over 99% of trips are incident-free, with a 99.99% trip safety rate for e-scooters and declining vandalism due to design improvements. Asia Pacific head Will Peters stated crews sometimes run out of replacement helmets and plans to increase fines for riders who do not return them. Lime aims to enforce parking in designated spots and integrate with public transport ticketing.
• Neuron: A spokesperson noted Melbourne was one of its busiest cities before the suspension, adding most riders behaved responsibly.
• Ario general manager Adam Rossetto noted that shared e-bikes' perceived relative safety compared to e-scooters has encouraged users to switch.

Data Collection Note

The injury data from Melbourne is based solely on reports made to Lime and Neuron by riders or third parties and may not encompass all injuries. These data were included in monthly reports to councils during the trial. The Age filed an FOI request in July 2024, and after Lime and Neuron initially sought to prevent release, a combined incident dataset was agreed upon during mediation at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).