A capital city council will ditch its e-scooter hire service after concerns about safety and the behaviour of riders.
Hobart City Council on Tuesday announced it would move away from e-scooters and shift to an e-bike only model, with a tender to go out for smaller, more compact e-bikes.
There were ongoing regulatory, safety and behavioural concerns with inappropriate e-scooter parking on footpaths being a common concern for residents, the council said.
"An e-bike only model is expected to improve safety outcomes and better integrate with existing cycling infrastructure," councillor Ryan Posselt said.
"E-bikes also support active transport, delivering public health benefits alongside emissions reduction."
A coroner in April called for greater public safety campaigns around e-scooters after the death of a 14-year-old boy in a collision in regional Victoria in 2025.
There have been 37 e-scooter deaths nationwide from 2020 to mid-2025, with children under 18 representing one-third, according to a University of Melbourne study.
In December, a 14-year-old girl was seriously injured after her e-scooter was hit by a car in Hobart's eastern suburbs.
Smaller, more compact e-bikes would be better suited to Hobart's streets, footpaths and public spaces, the council said.
The council's e-scooter and e-bike program, which began in 2021, had delivered positive outcomes for the city including reducing short car trips, it said.
From December 2024 to February, the service recorded an average of 13,300 trips per month, covering approximately 16,660km.
The decision to shift to e-bikes aligned with broader national and international trends, as they were generally used for transport rather than a recreation device, the council said.
