E-Scooters: A New Smart Mobility Option? The Case of Brisbane, Australia

Abstract

Standing electric scooters (e-scooters)’ rapid infiltration as a mobility option has left cities in the limbo of having to deal with regulation and planning for their sudden interruption. As the first city in Australia to allow e-scooter sharing, Brisbane is at the forefront of regulating their use in public space. We reflect on how e-scooter governance can be considered a continually (re)negotiated site of state-market interface, drawing insights from Lindblom’s science of muddling through, Dewey’s socially organised intelligence, and Leitner, Peck, and Sheppard’s discussion on contesting market domination/modes of social regulation.