Wellington City Council has followed in Auckland’s footsteps and revoked Beam’s licence to operate e-scooters on its streets following an investigation into similar compliance issues.
Chief planning officer Liam Hodgetts said the council suspended the provider’s licence at the end of August and its scooters were removed from the streets on September 1.
Hodgetts said Beam’s licence was revoked after the council considered information provided by the micromobility operator.
He said “it is now clear to us” that breaches of Beam’s licence occurred.
“Of particular concern is the admitted breach of the e-scooter cap, and failure to communicate openly with the Council regarding these breaches.”
Beam had a licence to operate 500 e-scooters and 150 e-bikes in the capital.
It was found that between July 26, 2023 and June 21, 2024, the e-scooter cap had been exceeded by an average daily maximum of 100, with the highest between 185.
Hodgetts said this was not a decision the council took lightly.
“However, Wellington City elected members set a cap on the number of e-scooters that could be deployed at any time specifically to ensure a balance between having enough devices to meet demand while reducing the risk to pedestrians of footpath clutter.
“This has clearly been breached and as such we deem termination of the licence to be the most appropriate course of action.”
Auckland Council cancelled the Singapore-based operator’s licence late last month for similar compliance issues.
Beam was found to have allegedly exceeded its permitted fleet size by up to 40% in some areas of Auckland following an investigation.
The council was provided with “evidence of anomalies” by a “concerned private individual” on August 2, suggesting a difference between the reported number of Beam e-scooters and its actual number operating in Auckland.
“The evidence suggests that these anomalies were intentional, with Beam providing misleading data to Ride Report to appear compliant with cap limits,” the council said.
Council officers will consider options for next steps for e-scooter provision in Wellington between now and the next round for licences in March 2026.
Beam was contacted by 1News but declined to comment.
