Moovit helps Australians find Beam e-bikes and e-scooters

  • May 24, 2021
  • Steve Rogerson

Intel mobility-as-a-service subsidiary Moovit is helping residents in Sydney and Canberra find Beam e-bikes and e-scooters.

Singapore-based Beam and Israeli firm Moovit have announced a partnership that will offer users of the Moovit app in Australia more convenient first and last kilometre options. The app will show users in real time where nearby Beam e-bikes can be found in Sydney, and where e-scooters can be found in Canberra, with more cities to be added soon.

“Offering more alternative transport options that can easily get people to their destination, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, is a critical component of any mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) ecosystem,” said Juan Carbonell, Moovit’s head in Australia and New Zealand. “That’s why we are excited to partner with Beam. From Sydney to Canberra, riders can now find several alternative mobility options to enjoy the most convenient ways of getting from A to B.”

Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the reliance on bikes and scooters to get around has boomed. Moovit’s 2020 Global Public Transport Report found that, on average, 59% of cyclists and scooter users in Sydney prefer to connect their rides with public transport for more efficient first and last segments of a journey. However, many people still drive their private vehicles to connect with main transport hubs or drive directly to their destination.

That’s why Beam and Moovit are partnering to connect Australian citizens with micro-mobility services and take more cars off the road. Moovit will show its users in real time where a Beam vehicle is available nearby in Sydney and Canberra, including how long it will take to walk there.

“Our partnership with Moovit will make it even easier to find and ride Beam vehicles,” said Tom Cooper, Beam’s general manager for Australia and New Zealand. “We are excited to partner with Moovit and be a leader in bringing integrated and creative transportation options to Australian cities.” 

Moovit simplifies urban mobility all around the world, making getting around town via transport easier and additional multi-modal services more convenient. By combining information from public transport operators and authorities with live information from the user community, Moovit offers travellers a real-time picture, including the best route for the journey, service alerts and get off notifications. Moovit has guided more than 990 million users in getting around town, using any mode of transport.

Moovit recently partnered with Ventura Bus, Victoria’s largest bus provider, and Department of Transport Victoria to launch FlexiRide, Melbourne’s first demand responsive transport service, to bring more convenient and efficient mobility to people traveling to major local transport hubs.

Moovit was acquired by Intel in 2020 to join forces with Mobileye and advance its MaaS strategy.

Moovit’s iOS, Android, and web apps guide people in getting around town using any mode of transport. Introduced in 2012, it now serves over 950 million users in more than 3400 cities across 112 countries. The firm amasses up to six billion anonymous data points a day to add to the world’s largest repository of transit and urban mobility data. For governments, cities, transit agencies, and private companies, Moovit offers AI-powered MaaS options covering planning, operations and optimisation to reduce congestion, grow ridership and increase efficiency and asset use.

Singapore-based Beam claims to be Apac’s largest and fastest-growing shared micro-mobility company with operations in 18 cities across five countries. It has operations in Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and Malaysia, and a set of new countries to be launched in 2021.