The 12-month trial started in December, with Ballarat the only regional city selected in the program to explore the potential for a wider rollout of e-scooters across the state, along with inner-city municipalities the City of Melbourne, City of Port Phillip and City of Yarra.

According to e-scooter provider Neuron, more than 10,000 trips were taken on the vehicles during the first week of the trial.

A Neuron spokesperson said feedback on the scooters had been 'overwhelmingly positive'.

"The vast majority of our users are riding in a responsible and safe manner. Of course there have been a few people who are still undecided about e-scooters - that happens particularly in the early days of a new program - but overwhelmingly we've had fantastic feedback and support from the community," the spokesperson said.

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"It is great to see e-scooters benefit local businesses and the community as a whole. E-scooters are inexpensive when compared to many other forms of transport, and if you choose an e-scooter over a car for a short trip it significantly reduces congestion and emissions. We are also creating 25 new jobs for people which is great for the local economy."

The spokesperson said cases of vandalism were also very rare.

"As a safeguard for our riders, if an e-scooter is vandalised we remotely immobilise it so that it is temporarily rendered unusable. It is then retrieved by our team of dedicated ground patrollers and taken back to the warehouse for evaluation and repair."

City of Ballarat acting chief executive Matthew Wilson said while the trial program had seen a great uptake, it presented challenges with most trips taken by first-time e-scooter users.

"Other potential benefits to allowing higher-power e-scooters on our transport network include connecting the community to public transport hubs, as an alternative to short car trips, to alleviate parking and traffic congestion, and to reduce carbon emissions," he said.

"With so many first-time riders, we are finding that some are still familiarising themselves with the riding rules. We are working with Victoria Police and e-scooter provider Neuron to educate riders about the riding rules, and to remind them of the penalties they can face if they fail to abide by the law.

"While there have been isolated incidents of riders not following the rules, we expect this to lessen over time as people become more familiar with the service. While the majority of people are riding responsibly, we want to remind everyone that e-scooters are not a novelty item, they are for practical use and it is important people ride them responsibly."

Under the trial, e-scooter riders must follow similar road rules to what applies to cars and bicycles, including being 18 years or older, riding only in bicycle lanes, shared paths and low-speed roads, and not being under the influence of alcohol or other substances.

According to the Department of Transport, riders who are under the influence with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.05 or more could face heavy fines and loss of licence.

In a statement, Victoria Police said officers would be actively enforcing the rules around e-scooters.

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"Strict regulations will be in place throughout the Department of Transport's e-scooter trial to ensure the safety of all road users.Only e-scooters supplied by the approved operators in the approved local government areas are permitted for use - privately owned e-scooters will continue to be prohibited on public roads, bicycle lanes and footpaths," the statement said.

"Victoria Police will be actively enforcing the e-scooter trial regulations - anyone caught in breach of the rules will be subject to significant penalties. Victoria Police will continue to work with road safety partners to explore safe and accessible transport options for Victorian road users."

Mr Wilson said council was working with Neuron to improve the program as it progresses.

"We are working closely with Neuron to gather data to show where the e-scooters are predominantly being used so we can better cater for public usage," he said.

"We are also continuing to evaluate the riding zone and working with Neuron to implement new slow zones, no-go zones and preferred parking locations.

"In regards to responsible riding, we will continue to support Neuron and Victoria Police with their education and enforcement initiatives. Prior to Christmas, there have been three ScootSafe events and there are many more safety campaigns and events planned for 2022."

Neuron said it wanted to integrate its e-scooters into Ballarat as well as possible.

"We're working closely with the council and other authorities to refine our operations. We want the right number of e-scooters to be in the right locations at the right time so that they are most useful to people," a spokesperson said.

"Plus we're also constantly evaluating our slow zones, no-go zones and preferred parking locations and undoubtedly we'll continue to adapt these over time as well. We'll continue to develop our products and services over time, and we're excited about the future."

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