A Sunshine Coast e-scooter operator will “double down” on its mission to deliver safe rides as it prepares to share the local market with an international company.
Oggy E-Scooters launched in Mooloolaba in January 2021 and its green scooters have become a welcome addition to providing more sustainable transport options across the region.
In two years, the company has grown from 20 scooters and two hubs to 150 scooters spread across 22 parking hubs from Caloundra to Noosa.
Earlier this month, it was announced Singapore-based Neuron Mobility would provide e-scooters and e-bikes in Maroochydore and Mooloolaba as part of an 18-month trial with Sunshine Coast Council.
Neuron Mobility would deliver 400 new e-scooters, with the minimum age of riders being 16, and provide direct business competition to Oggy E-Scooters.
But Kate Ogg of Oggy E-Scooters said the addition of a competitor had given more drive within the business to be a leader in promoting its strict safety policy.
Oggy has provided more than 240,000 safe rides since launching, and no insurance claims or major accidents had been reported.
Ms Ogg said the company had a strict minimum age policy of 21 and a thorough identification process to ensure riders adhere to the rules.
She told Sunshine Coast News that the company had turned away more than 16,500 people who were either too young, aggressive or believed to be under the influence of alcohol.
The Sunshine Coast Business Women’s Network’s 2022 Outstanding Business Woman of Year winner, Ms Ogg said Oggy would continue to promote its message of providing locally operated and safe rides to its customers.
“We are doubling down on our efforts to keep expanding and get more and more parking hubs,” she said.
“If Sunny Coast locals and visitors understand there is a direct choice they can make between supporting an Australian company or paying an international company, (we hope) that they would choose to support local.
“We’ve had that sort of feedback from our riders saying they would only ride with us because they understand what our values are and they align with their values.”
Oggy E-Scooters opted not to submit an expression of interest to the council during the tender process for the trial, which begins in June.
She said elements of the trial went against the company’s values, including operating at night, and she was concerned about the introduction of parking zones for “visual litter”.
“We don’t think you should be able to end a journey wherever you want,” she said.
“Parking hubs are great, there is no visible pollution. No one wants to see scooters littered all over Alex Heads.”
She said a parking hub allowed a ride to only end at that specific locations, while parking zones meant a rider could end a ride anywhere within a designated zone, which could be an entire street or precinct.
Ms Ogg said Oggy parking hubs were located at businesses and accommodation providers across the region, helping support the local economy.
“We can then plug the local business on our social media and through the app,” she said.
Oggy E-Scooter is now gearing up to launch a subscription model to the business, where businesses can have scooters on hand to use for staff.
Ms Ogg said this new service would be a way to “future proof” the business and offer a chance to potentially launch into areas such as Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
“We supply scooters on a subscription basis, especially for businesses who are using fleet vehicles. It will actively get cars of the roads,” she said.
“If we can actively offset the emissions by replacing a fleet vehicle with a subscription scooter … it’s 80 per cent cheaper than running a fleet vehicle.”
Ms Ogg said the scooter could be used by real estate agents and property managers, solicitors attending court, pharmacies doing local deliveries and car dealerships in lieu of loan cars.
For more information visit Oggy E-Scooters.
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