Source: 42Mag, S. Bornstein

French capital becomes the first to place a ban on ‘floating’ e-scooters for rental from city streets, following an earlier public vote.

The ban came into force on September 1st, based on the results of a public consultation in April, in which 89% of voters spoke in favour of the ban. However, the consultation only saw a 7.4% turnout, leading rental e-scooter operators to urge the city’s Mayor, Anne Hidalgo, to seek compromise.

A spokesperson for e-scooter operator Lime said, “We remain hopeful that we can continue to work with Mayor Hidalgo to pass sensible regulations instead of a ban on e-scooters, and avoid a setback for Paris.”

Some voters have voiced a preference for stricter regulations, rather than a blanket ban: “I don’t want scooters to do whatever they want on the sidewalks, but banning them is not the priority,” said Pierre Waeckerle, 35.

Prior to the ban, Paris had a fleet of 15,000 e-scooters, and figures showed that 400,000 people travelled on them in the city in 2022. Complaints about pedestrians being jostled, haphazard parking and other annoyances had prompted the public consultation in April; French Transport Minister Clément Beaune, a possible candidate for mayor in 2026, said the vote was a huge democratic failure.

Following introduction of e-scooters to Paris in 2018, three operators had been active in the city since 2020 on a three-year contract, under which certain restrictions were in place, including 20km/hour speed limits and designated scooter parking areas.

The ban relates only to rental e-scooters; privately owned scooters are not affected.

The head of the road safety agency Securite Routiere, Florence Guillaume, strongly encouraged scooter users to wear helmets, which have been made compulsory in some European cities.