Lime takes over Hobart's shared e-bikes as Beam bows out

Beam's exit, Lime's arrival

Hobart City Council has appointed global micromobility operator Lime as the new operator of the city's shared e-bike service, replacing Beam Mobility, whose permit expired on 30 June after operating in Hobart since December 2021. Under a 12 month permit with an option to renew, Lime bikes began appearing around Hobart's waterfront, Salamanca and the CBD from Monday 24 August.

What is changing on the ground

Around 350 e-bikes are rolling out initially, smaller and more compact than Lime's standard fleet and designed specifically for Hobart's streets, according to the council. The permit includes designated parking zones and no terminate areas meant to stop bikes being dumped across footpaths, a complaint that dogged the previous mixed e-scooter and e-bike scheme. Hobart moved to an e-bike only model after years of complaints about scooters blocking paths and creating trip hazards, particularly for people with limited mobility or vision.

A pattern across Tasmania and beyond

Lime already runs shared e-bikes in Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Melbourne and Sydney, and Launceston has separately opened talks with the company after ending its own e-scooter program. For anyone shopping for a personal e-bike rather than renting one, the rollout is still a useful signal: councils are moving away from scooters and toward e-bikes as the preferred shared option. If the daily hire fees on schemes like this start adding up, it is worth comparing owned e-bikes in BikeFinder's directory instead.