Hobart City Council has given approval to continue hire-and-ride e-scooter services in the CBD.
At last night's meeting, councillors voted to extend e-scooter use under a licence arrangement.
The council said licences would only be issued to companies that satisfied a range of conditions, which are yet to be finalised.
However, insurance and responsible parking of e-scooters would be part of those conditions, Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds said.
"The council is really keen to see better parking practices. So any company that wants to operate in Hobart will have to demonstrate very high standards and a better way of managing parking on our footpaths in particular," she said.
The council said it would begin rolling out marked e-scooter parking bays throughout Hobart to address some of those parking concerns.
Several serious injuries, property damage
A council report evaluating the trial found Hobart experienced a low rate of incidents compared to the ACT and Queensland.
There were no fatal scooter crashes and only four were considered "serious".
The report noted 25 minor injuries and 39 reports of property damage.
A separate study posted in the Emergency Medicine Australasia (EMA) journal last year, which looked at only the first six months of the trial, found there were 135 e-scooter-related emergency department presentations to the Royal Hobart Hospital.
The council's evaluation report notes that the study did not differentiate between hire-and-ride e-scooters and private e-scooters — which "are not speed controlled" to 25kph on roads and 15kph on footpaths.
The EMA study found one-third of patients who presented to emergency departments required "operative interventions", but none needed intensive care.
It also found almost two-thirds of injured riders were not wearing helmets, and 71 per cent of those who were admitted to hospital were intoxicated.
Majority of feedback has been positive, councillor says
The trial outcome was welcomed by councillor Ryan Posselt, who said electric scooters provided a compact, convenient and environmentally friendly transport option.
"The use of private e-scooters continues to grow in popularity not just in Hobart but across the state," he said.
"While I acknowledge that some people still have valid concerns, particularly around parking concerns, and there is more work to be done to continue making them safer for the whole community, the majority of feedback has been positive.
"The more alternatives we can provide to single-occupant cars, the more we can reduce congestion on our roads, free up parking spots and head towards zero emissions."
Current trial arrangements will remain in place until June 23, while a new service arrangement is developed for hire-and-ride operators.
'It's been a huge success'
The trial of Beam and Neuron e-scooters in the Hobart and Launceston council areas began in December 2021 and was set to end in March.
Both trials were initially beset with complaints about rider behaviour, with Beam launching a safety education program and extra no-ride and reduced speed areas last January as a result.
Beam general manager Tom Cooper said more than 470,000 trips had been taken across Hobart and Launceston during the trial period.
He said the average trip distance was just over 2 kilometres, which he said showed they were replacing "those short five-minute car trips that were too long to be taken on foot".
Neuron Mobility regional manager Lachlan McLean said the company would like to "thank the City of Hobart, our tens of thousands of loyal riders and the community for their continued trust and support".
He said "residents and tourists have travelled 450,000 kilometres since launch and feedback has been extremely positive".
Small Business Council chief executive Robert Mallett said he was pleased with the results of the trial.
"Whilst we get a few negative comments about rider behaviour from time to time, overall it's been a huge success," he said.
"E-scooters lessen the need for vehicular transport through the streets and enhance passenger flow and I hope they continue to do that now and into the future."
Just over half of survey respondents in favour
The vote follows community consultation and evaluation of the trial, with the findings going on to inform licence arrangements with scooter operators in the future.
Of the 2,048 people who took part in the survey, 53 per cent of respondents supported the continuation of e-scooter services.
"I don't own a car, usually walk or take the bus. I'm also a shift worker and the metro bus timetable really does not suit my shifts," said one respondent.
"The scooters make my life so much easier."
Another person said e-scooters have allowed for better access to work for people who have difficulty using other forms of transport.
"It has made coming to work more accessible for people with a disability."
However, 34 per cent of people voted against keeping e-scooters on the streets, citing safety concerns and reckless riders.
"E-scooters are dangerous to pedestrians, ridden irresponsibly, and rules not enforced," said one person.
"As a person who is blind, I am now frightened to navigate public spaces alone because the scooters are very quiet and also because they frequently block the footpaths," said another.
But a vast majority of people who have not used an e-scooter said it was because they were either not interested or believed they were unsafe.
