While Albury residents fume about e-scooters being dumped around the city, some have questioned why shared devices are legal and private ones are not.
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The NSW Transport Department has responded to claims e-scooters were a menace for people with disabilities, caused city-wide eyesores, and were a source of confusion over legalities.
Meanwhile, Beam says it will be put more resources into monitoring the dumping the devices and anti-social behaviour related to the e-scooters during the 12-month trial that began on December 15.
The department said, unlike private scooters, the vehicles provided by Beam for the 12-month trial are speed limited for safety and cannot operate outside the approved trial area.
"Safety is at the forefront of everything Transport for NSW does, and by using e-scooters through share companies it ensures these trials can be carefully controlled and monitored," a spokesman said.
"This is vital to ensure we get the most accurate data about how the e-scooters are used and how safe they are, to assist with evaluating the future of e-scooters in NSW."
Beam said it was aware of some problems with the trial and would make efforts to rectify them.
"Our Albury team have noted several instances of anti-social behaviour, where non-riders have been deliberately knocking e-scooters over," a Beam spokesperson said.
"We call on everyone in the community to understand that this has consequences for everyone sharing the roads, especially blind and low vision community members and those with mobility difficulties.
"We will be committing additional resources to patrolling the streets, and will be referring anti-social behaviour to the police."
The Transport Department said there were both risks and benefits to the trial but said it would gather data to shape future decisions on the devices.
"Councils and the selected shared scheme providers taking part in the e-scooter trials are responsible for the day-to-day management of the devices in the trial and have set up stringent measures for the safe and responsible operation of e-scooters," the spokesman said.
"The NSW government has considered the safest possible framework to trial e-scooters in NSW. There are risks and benefits associated with e-scooters and the trial of shared-scheme e-scooters allows us to collect data throughout the 12-month period to understand the future operating environment for NSW."
The spokesman said as part of the statewide e-scooter trials, shared e-scooters from providers are only allowed on bicycle paths, shared paths and local roads, and it remains illegal to ride the e-scooters on footpaths.
"Trial areas must also undergo a road safety assessment before the trial can begin," the spokesman said.
