Beam - Escooter Sharing 4+

Beam is the best in their class. The scooters are always being updated with new models that feature the best equipment from powerful motors to wireless charging for your phones and on the latest model. Instead of wasting their older models they add on new features like seats to really get the full life out of them which I find quite economical. While they do have their own issues in comparison to other companies they’re quick to take the problem scooters offline, give you a refund for your trip if you had an issue and their call center is always helpful in a pinch.

Their app was quite outdated until recently. The new update has brought easier user interface.

My 2 suggestions to change and/or a word of advice to give is that every time you need to update your payment method they put a $15 temporary charge on the card and while the money does get returned after a while it’s always a pain to change methods. The second is if your card doesn’t have the correct funds by the end of the trip their is no button to press in trip history to clear the failed payment which can lead to big delays if you’re in a rush.

I love beam bikes, but I know that the bikes are tall for me even when on the lowest setting and the helmets are too large even when adjusted smaller. It’s loose on my head so I ended up having to buy a helmet and bring one each ride. I’m a reasonably tall woman too so I can’t imagine what it’s like for riders shorter than me. Please make smaller bikes available for the remaining 50% of users! My first ride ended up being with a faulty bike that kept slowing down for no reason which was quite frustrating, but beam support fully refunded me so it made up for it. Thanks for making greener, more fun travel options a possibility in Sydney! Hopefully we can get a wider network across Sydney with time. Best of luck!

Edit: the bikes need a lot more maintenance to keep them in tip top shape for riders to use. A lot of times I have found issues with the bikes such as: the handlebar is loose, one of the pedals is missing, it’s covered in cobwebs, the brakes are not working, or the tyre is flat, et cetera. This means having to walk for considerable distances to locate another bike that has enough charge to get you from A to B. The reason for wanting to use an electric bike share for me personally was to avoid the issue of maintenance or the likelihood of theft. Anyway, this is something to consider if you’re wanting to swap your car/ public transport for bike share. Happy riding!

Had tried a company in Europe, 1 in Sydney & 1 another in Brisbane …Beam though was by far the most convenient, it’s got both a Phone holder AND a bottle holder!
So easy to sign up…quick set up, simple use of getting the scooter going and the Beam App. Super stable and the smoothest ride out of the 4 different companies.
Word of warning for a person whose never used an electric scooter of any type before though - these are super quick & super responsive, great if you’re in a hurry - would’ve scared me if it was my first use of electric.