European cities tighten rules for e-scooter hire companies

Back in May 2022, the Brussels Capital Region announced that it would drastically reduce the number of rental e-scooters from over 20,000 to 8,000. The industry was eagerly awaiting the outcome of the tender, which was only looking for two providers instead of nine. On December 22, Bolt and Dott were awarded the contract. They will now operate the e-scooter rental systems for three years, while other companies (Felyx, GO Sharing, Tier and Pony) were successful with the bike and scooter sharing services. From February 2024, sharing fleets with 7,500 bicycles, 300 cargo bikes and 600 scooters will be permitted in the region in addition to the 8,000 scooters.

At the same time, parking on sidewalks is to be improved: Scooter parking will be restricted to 1,500 so-called “drop zones”. The administration initially set these up in eleven of the 19 municipalities in the capital region, which together cover almost a third of the metropolitan area. In the remaining areas, the parking zones will initially only be arranged virtually and will be marked out over the course of the summer.

Belgian media described the tightening as the “last chance” for e-scooters in Brussels. Green Mobility Minister Elke Van den Brandt already threatened last spring with a complete ban on rental scooters if the problems persisted. In 2022, Paris became the first major European city to ban the rental of e-scooters.

Barcelona is also working hard to regulate e-scooters in order to organize traffic in the city and ensure safety. The city has introduced one of the strictest regulations in Europe. Since 2021, e-scooters may only be parked in special parking zones. Parking on sidewalks is strictly prohibited in order to protect pedestrians and especially people with disabilities. In addition, a comprehensive network of bike and scooter lanes has been established in Barcelona, enabling users to move around the city in a safer and more orderly manner.

New approaches to optimizing individual mobility in cities are also being tested in Germany. One interesting approach here is the so-called mobility stations. Read our article “Everything in its place” to find out what this is all about and where these stations can already be found today.

Auch in Berlin kündigte die Senatsverwaltung im November 2023 an, den Scooter-Verleih stärker zu regulieren. Sie reduzierte die Anzahl der erlaubten Free-Floating-Leihroller innerhalb des S-Bahn-Rings von 25.000 auf 19.000, und verpflichtete die vier in Berlin aktiven Marken Bolt, Lime, Voi und Tier, ihre Nutzungsdaten auf einer Plattform zu teilen. Außerdem müssen sie gefährlich abgestellte Roller beseitigen und die Situation kontrollieren. Die Roller-Anbieter hatten im Herbst begonnen, mit Fußpatrouillen und besseren Nutzungsanleitungen auf Probleme zu reagieren. Irritiert reagierten die Anbieter allerdings auf die Ankündigung, dass die Verwaltung schon im Sommer die Zahl der zugelassenen Fahrzeuge weiter senken könnte, wenn „keine spürbare Verbesserung der Ordnung auf Gehwegen“ zu erkennen sei. „Mikromobilität gehört zu einem modernen Verkehrs-Angebot, allerdings muss das für alle Verkehrsteilnehmerinnen und Verkehrsteilnehmer geordnet und möglichst sicher sein,“ betonte die zuständige Senatorin Manja Schreiner von der CDU in der Pressemitteilung.

Das Abstellen der Roller ist in Berlin – wie auch bei Fahrrädern – überall zulässig, solange niemand behindert wird. Zusätzlich hat die Verwaltung Parkverbotszonen ausgewiesen, die nun noch einmal ausgeweitet wurden. Für die Zukunft soll der Nutzungsbedarf an E-Scootern mit Hilfe der Datenplattform von Vianova ermittelt werden. Die aktuellen Sondernutzungserlaubnisse für die Leihroller gelten bis Ende März 2025.

In November 2023, the Berlin Senate also announced that it would regulate scooter rental more strictly. It reduced the number of free-floating rental scooters permitted within the S-Bahn ring from 25,000 to 19,000 and obliged the four brands active in Berlin - Bolt, Lime, Voi and Tier - to share their usage data on a platform. They must also remove dangerously parked scooters and monitor the situation. The scooter providers had begun to respond to problems in the fall with foot patrols and better usage instructions. However, the providers reacted with irritation to the announcement that the administration could further reduce the number of registered vehicles as early as the summer if there was “no noticeable improvement in order on sidewalks”. “Micromobility is part of a modern transport offer, but it must be orderly and as safe as possible for all road users,” emphasized the responsible Senator Manja Schreiner from the CDU in the press release .

As with bicycles, scooters can be parked anywhere in Berlin as long as no one is obstructed. In addition, the administration has designated no-parking zones, which have now been extended once again. In future, the demand for e-scooters will be determined with the help of the Vianova data platform. The current special use permits for the rental scooters are valid until the end of March 2025.

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