Wheels turn for micromobility in Malaysia as Beam now operational in six cities

By ramieza, 24 February 2023

Wheels turn for micromobility in Malaysia as Beam now operational in six cities
 

In 2019, Beam Mobility arrived in Malaysia with a vision to help Malaysian cities flow better and reduce carbon emissions. Starting off with just a handful of its iconic purple shared e-scooters in the Klang Valley, Beam now operates in six major cities in Malaysia today – Kuala Lumpur, Ampang Jaya, Petaling Jaya, Shah Alam, Kuantan, and Langkawi.

Beam showcased strong growth momentum in 2022, registering a vast number of new sign ups which brought its total pool of riders to be 65% higher than it was in the previous year. Today, the total number of registered users in Beam’s database sits at well over 800,000 people.

Beam’s presence in Malaysia and the availability of its shared e-scooters in these six cities have undoubtedly made a positive impact on the way citizens move around. In the Klang Valley alone, 100,000 trips on Beam’s e-scooters were undertaken by riders travelling to or from a public transportation facility such as the MRT, LRT, or bus station, a clear sign that Malaysians are receptive towards using Beam’s e-scooters to complete the first and last mile of their journeys.

Moreover, the total distance travelled on Beam’s shared e-scooters for 2022 was recorded at over 2,000,000 kilometres. This is a positive sign for our environment as well, as this distance would have released 486 tonnes of carbon emissions if it was travelled in a conventional private car.

These statistics show that Beam ended the year 2022 with a strong momentum, which the company aims to carry forward into 2023 and beyond. Moreover, according to a recent public survey with over 1,500 public respondents, responses have indicated that Malaysians continue to grow increasingly positive about the prospects of the shared e-scooter and its potential positive impact on cities.

According to the survey, a strong 60% of respondents feel positive about shared e-scooters rolling out in their cities while only 9% felt negatively, alluding to the prospects of more growth for Beam nationwide - almost half of these respondents were over 40 years old. Moreover, of the 1,500+ survey respondents, 41% of them initially felt neutral or negatively about the presence of e-scooters in their cities. However, upon being educated of the economic and environmental benefits of micromobility and the safety features that Beam e-scooters employ, the total number of respondents who felt positively jumped to 81%.

With its strong performance in 2022 and evolving public perception about shared micromobility services, Beam fully intends to offer its shared e-scooters in as many Malaysian cities as possible, with the aim to improve how cities flow while giving back to the environment.

“Beam is currently working towards making its shared e-scooters available in all urban cities in Malaysia, regardless of whether they are in Peninsular or in Sabah and Sarawak. Traffic congestion and urban pollution are issues that many Malaysian citizens and authorities face today, and we believe that we have the solution towards solving these issues,” said Justin Tiew, General Manager of Beam Mobility Malaysia.

“Beam is constantly in discussions about the conditions and aims of making micromobility widely available in new cities with the relevant authorities such as the Ministry of Transport (MoT), Road Transport Department (JPJ), Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS), and more. We look forward to these partnerships and to making our shared e-scooters more widely available to more Malaysians,” he added.