- No more electric scooters in the Spanish capital
- More and more cities ban electric scooters
No more electric scooters in the Spanish capital
Madrid's authorities announced last week that they are suspending the operating licenses of electric scooter rental companies Lime, Dott, and Tier. Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida, the city's mayor, made the decision [1].
The Madrid City Council will no longer grant licences for the operation of electric scooters because "it has become apparent that the market is unable to meet the necessary requirements set by the Council to ensure the highest possible level of safety for citizens". The use of private electric scooters in the city remains legal.
Lime, Dott, and Tier have been selected to provide electric scooter rental services in Madrid, each of which has been granted permits for 2,000 scooters. The Council's decision means that starting in October, there will be no more scooters for hire in the city.
The local council issued a statement saying that the three companies had not complied with the conditions of the permits issued in May 2023. The Council said that the companies had blocked its efforts to verify their activities by failing to provide the required information. Nevertheless, it was found that they had not complied with the conditions of the permits[2].
The deficiencies included insufficient service provision throughout the city and the absence of technology to prevent vehicles from driving or parking in prohibited areas. Once the revocation process has started, the companies will have 20 days to appeal against the decision.
A Dott spokesman said the company received official notification from the Madrid mayor's office on Thursday.
"We are currently assessing the situation regarding the electric scooter rental service and we are waiting for a meeting with the Madrid municipality before making any decision. We hope that a constructive dialogue with the municipality is possible to understand the reasons for the announced decision so that we can resolve them appropriately and maintain a useful mobility service for the residents and visitors of Madrid," the spokesperson said in a statement.
A Lime spokesman said the company was "disappointed by this unexpected move" and considered the reasons given for this decision "incorrect."
"We will look for ways to help our passengers in Madrid access safe, affordable, and sustainable transport. We look forward to continuing discussions with the Council to ensure the service can continue," the spokesman added.
Electric scooters are available for hire in Madrid starting in 2019. They have become a point of contention because, as in other cities in other countries, they are often left in forbidden areas, blocking pavements and endangering transport safety.
According to the authorities, insufficient insurance cover and a lack of training that companies should offer to citizens were other reasons for the ban. Despite thousands of fines of between €30 and €200, the situation has not improved. There have already been several accidents involving electric scooters in Spain in which people have died.
More and more cities ban electric scooters
Madrid is not the first major city in the world to take action to stop the use of electric scooters.
In August, officials in the Australian city of Melbourne banned the rental of these scooters, citing safety concerns after hundreds of complaints and reports of accidents.
According to the city, an average of 7,800 rides per day in Melbourne in recent years were made on mobile vehicles, of which around 6,800 were on electric scooters. This was said to have helped reduce the city's carbon dioxide emissions by more than 400 tonnes. However, the popularity of scooters has also increased the number of accidents, injuries, and breakdowns[3].
In April 2023, Parisians voted in favor of a ban on renting electric scooters in the French capital. The ban came into force in September when scooter operators' contracts expired.
This makes Paris the first European city to ban scooters, five years after it was one of the first to do so. In 2021, 24 people died in France in accidents caused by electric scooters, including one in Paris[4].
