BY GABRIELA FANNIA

“Queensland is the place to be, you know that, don't ya?” asks Pete Finn. 

A single sentence that would raise a Victorian’s eyebrows. Unless a shiny new scooter is parked in your garage all charged up, you’d probably agree with Pete Finn, the scooter expert himself.

Founder of the scooting community, ScootMasters, Mr Finn and his team organise riding events in the sunshine state. He explained there were different facets of scooter-owning, but the social aspect of doing group rides was most important. 

On Facebook, ScootMasters group-ride policy reads: Leave no man/woman behind.

According to the founder, scooting brings many benefits when done as a group. 

It’s therapeutic, he claims.

Luckily for scooter enthusiasts in Queensland, scooting is legal.

While in Victoria, scooter owners will have to wait until a 12-month trial period ends, to determine if private scooters are allowed in public areas. 

Until then, Melburnians' only legal option is to hop on one of the orange and green hire scooters parked randomly on public streets. 

Just like Victoria, Queensland had a 12-month trial period for e-scooters. 

As soon as they were introduced in 2018, new rules have been continuously added to keep footpaths safer.

At the moment, the state allows e-scooters with a maximum speed of 25 kp/h, which is enough to make group rides that cruise through city paths possible. 

The Australian Capital Territory, Tasmania and Western Australia have also legalised private-scooters.  

As Mr Finn says, just as you get “both hands free” while riding monos, Queenslanders are ride leaders, setting legislative examples and tasting the first-hand freedom as private scooter owners. 

Earlier this year, public e-scooters were distributed in trial areas around participating councils in Melbourne: City of Melbourne, City of Port Phillip, City of Yarra and Ballarat area.  

They were an instant knockout — quite literally. 

Despite the spike in e-scooter accidents and penalties, people are keen to try out this alternative means of quick and accessible transport. 

Neuron and Lime scooters are the approved operators within this trial period. They flood bike lanes and shared paths, looking upright and proud.

According to Lime’s general manager Hugo Burt-Morris, their “easy-to-use app” would be one of the reasons why riders love the rental e-scooters. 

The mobile app system provides features that assist riders to locate their nearest available scooter, make ride reservations, and then pay for their ride. 

If riders are lucky, they are offered promotion codes and discounts for cheaper trips. 

Melburnians are familiar with squeezing into poky trams during rush hour. 

Particularly in today’s context, where COVID-19 remains a public health threat, being confined and having minimal physical distance in public transport is often not a preferred situation. 

For scooter renters, paying for a public scooter may be a way to fix this problem.

Convenient and efficient, rental e-scooters allow Melburnians to move from one point to another in a shorter period of time. 

“Even in a rush, it’s easier to catch the scooter,” Neuron scooter rider Reagan Tjiandra says.  

These rental scooters do not require anyone to be an expert rider. 

As Reagan mentioned, they do not require a huge amount of energy to operate, it’s as easy as “a push of a button”. 

The concept of having fun becomes a huge chunk of why these hire scooters are popular. When else can one zoom through the late empty CBD streets and not worry about any responsibilities or where to find parking?

At this point, the entire kerb is your parking lot.

Renting a scooter comes with a list of rules and consequences such as wearing a helmet, not carrying any passengers, and keeping speeds up to 20kph. 

There are penalties set by VicRoads that apply to rule-breakers.

Two-wheeled scooters are fast, some even capable of reaching a “ridiculous” speed of 120kph, Mr Finn says. 

Comprising the most common type of scooter, these two-wheelers open the door to a whole new scooting culture for Victorians.

Speeding into oblivion, scooter renters are possibly unaware that the freedom for scooter owners in Victoria depends on their behaviour.

Last November Yarkov Halik, who goes by “Kim”, picked up his very first scooter from a warehouse. Last year, he had an epileptic seizure that prevented him from driving a car, which made him search for another way to do shopping and visit his partner.

Kim wanted something that ran on a motor and allowed him to sit while traveling. 

After turning down the idea of e-bikes and seeing more scooters zooming around Melbourne, electric scooters were a comfortable pick. 

Private e-scooters are readily available in Victoria, although it is only legal to use them on private property. The rules are simple: you can have it, but you can’t use it. Publicly, at least.

But for Victorian scooter owner Kim, scooting safely is a high priority. 

“My general philosophy is it's up to the individual to take responsibility and be careful. And what I've actually done is I've bought all the safety gear, basically a full motorcycle outfit…I just try to be careful," Kim says.

Scooting is more than just fun for many – it is functional and has become an essential part of day-to-day travel. 

But until the trial period ends, Victorian scooter owners will remain a third wheel.