E-bikes the perfect way to explore Frankston City this summer

Published on 21 January 2022

They’ve arrived!

Frankston City is the first city in Victoria and first non-State capital city in Australia to trial Neuron Mobility pedal-assisted e-bikes.

Mayor Nathan Conroy said: “I’m excited to be one of the first people taking a pedal-assisted e-bike out for a spin around Frankston City!

“Look out for them throughout Frankston and the surrounding neighbourhoods for the next 12 months as we trial the initiative.

“It’s all part of our next chapter of the Council Plan – to promote healthy, active, clean, green, outdoor living for all ages and abilities!

“If we can all do the right thing, by riding and parking safely, we can perhaps keep more cars off the roads, attract more visitors and keep our lovely City moving,” the Mayor said.

The 150 pedal-assisted e-bikes will prove the perfect addition for exploring the City’s many parks, playgrounds, local businesses and attractions, in a more sustainable, cost effective and active way.

Frankston City Council has teamed up with Australia and New Zealand’s leading micro mobility operator, Neuron Mobility, to deliver the 12-month trial, and pedal-assisted e-bikes will be available for hire to anyone over 18 years of age, without a permit, throughout the municipality.

‘Virtual parking locations’ will be found within multiple suburbs of Frankston City including Seaford, Frankston North, Karingal, Frankston foreshore and Frankston South, including outside Peninsula Health, Monash University Peninsula Campus and the Visitor Information Centre.

Mayor Conroy said pedal-assisted e-bikes are easily accessible for residents and visitors, adding: “The pilot scheme will create around 15 jobs locally and could be expanded depending on demand. If the community loves the program it will help inform and influence decision making regarding bike paths and cycle lanes in the future.

“The pedal-assisted e-bikes offer a safe, convenient and socially-distanced way to travel for residents and visitors, connecting people and places more easily and in a more sustainable way than motorised vehicles.

“They are yet another key draw-card for visitors and tourists to stay, explore and visit our local eateries and businesses, so it’s a win-win for everyone. For residents, the program opens up different routes and parts of the City that they might not normally frequent,” Mayor Conroy said.

The State Member for Frankston, Paul Edbrooke MP, joined Mayor Conroy for a ride on the e-bikes around Frankston City.

Mr Edbrooke said: “While e-bikes initiatives have been successfully taken up overseas, this e-bike initiative puts Frankston on the map as the first city in Victoria to trial this convenient, relaxed and healthy option to explore our fabulous Frankston!

“Innovative trials like this are a catalyst to attracting visitors to the region, which in turn boosts our economy across the board,” Mr Edbrooke said.

The pedal-assisted e-bike trial is another great example of Frankston City pioneering the latest smart technology as part of our Smart Cities program, which sits under Council’s Future Ready Frankston corporate strategy.

Mayor Conroy said the e-bikes will provide our community and visitors with greater access to environmentally-friendly transport options, reducing the reliance on cars for short journeys.

As a zero emissions transport initiative, certified by the Carbon Reduction Institute, they also fit in perfectly with Frankston City Council’s Zero Emissions strategy.

Head of Australia and New Zealand at Neuron Mobility, Richard Hannah, said his team are delighted to partner with Frankston City Council to launch the program.

“The Frankston landscape provides a superb environment for pedal-assisted e-bikes, with its numerous bike trails, stunning foreshore scenery and numerous parks and open spaces.

“Our pedal-assisted e-bike program is very different from previous bike sharing schemes. We have operations teams working around the clock changing batteries, safety checking, cleaning the e-bikes and moving them to where they are needed most. We also use GPS technology to control where the e-bikes go and to ensure they are parked responsibly,” Mr Hannah said.

For more details about Neuron Mobility, please visit: https://www.rideneuron.com

Everything you need to know:

Permits: Permits for Neuron Mobility pedal-assisted e-bikes are not required, therefore making them available to everyone over the age of 18 years. However you still need a permit to operate a privately-owned electric bike in Frankston City.
Renting: Riders will be able to book and use the e-bikes through Neuron’s user-friendly app, which can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play and set up in a matter of minutes.
Costs: To pay as you go, it will cost AU$1 to unlock the e-bike and 45 cents per minute thereafter. More frequent users can purchase Neuron Passes: a subscription service, available in three-day (AU$25), weekly (AU$33), or monthly (AU$45) options. The packages will allow users to ride as many times as they want, for up to 90 minutes per day, for a fixed, affordable price. This option eliminates unlocking fees and saves riders up to 96 per cent.
Concessions: Concessions are available from Neuron Mobility for students and senior citizens using the Neuron Mobility pedal-assisted e-bikes.
Speed: The e-bike motor will provide power-assist until the e-bike reaches a speed of 25km/h. This speed is also limited in certain locations for safety reasons. These slow-zones will be set by Council and work in conjunction with GPS and geolocation.
Locations: There will be over 30 convenient, incentivised and dockless parking stations across Frankston and neighbouring suburbs that will be visible to riders in the Neuron Mobility app.
Riding areas: The pedal-assisted e-bikes cannot be ridden out of the geo-zoned riding areas within the boundaries of Frankston City. Should a rider approach a no-riding zone the motor will safely shut down. The bike will automatically re-activate once it returns to within the designated riding zone.
Safety features: Each pedal-assisted e-bike is equipped with a 000 emergency button which can tell if someone has had a fall and helps the rider call the emergency services. Voice guidance educates and warns riders on how to ride safely. The ‘Follow My Ride’ function allows riders to share their trip with friends and family in real time, for added safety and peace of mind.
Helmets: A Neuron Mobility cycle helmet accompanies each e-bike and can be unlocked and re-locked during trips via the Neuron Mobility app. Riders do not need to provide their own helmets.
Cluttering: Every pedal assisted e-bike is fitted with GPS and controlled by geofencing so bike locations are always known. At the end of each day, Neuron Mobility’s 24/7 operations team collects and returns the e-bikes to the ‘preferred parking’ areas, ready for the next user. Every e-bike also has topple detection which means that if they are left on their side, the ground team gets an alert and moves to reposition it safely.
Sustainability credentials: Neuron Mobility e-bikes are carbon neutral, emission free and charged using 100 per cent renewable energy – in alignment with Frankston City Council’s Zero Emissions strategy.
Safety checks: The Neuron operations team works around the clock changing batteries and safety checking and cleaning the pedal-assisted e-bikes.
COVID-safety hygiene features: Neuron sanitisation teams will be working around the clock to keep e-bikes germ-free, using hospital-grade disinfectant, approved by The Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), to kill a broad range of bacteria and viruses including COVID-19. There are also reminders in the app. Additionally, rider and trip data can help with contact tracing if required.

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