Comments Off on Madrid is taking steps to prohibit e-scooters rented through apps
Madrid is set to prohibit e-scooter rentals via mobile applications on safety grounds, after the city’s three licensed providers did not adhere to regulations regarding user circulation and parking management, according to the mayor of the Spanish capital.
José Luis Martínez-Almeida announced on Thursday that the licenses for Lime, Dott, and Tier Mobility would be revoked starting in October, with no plans to issue new licenses to other companies.
“The market has proven unable to fulfil the requirements established by the mayor’s office to guarantee the utmost safety for residents,” he stated.
The “scooter sharing system” has faced criticism in cities globally due to instances of reckless riding and improper parking by users.
Last year, Paris also banned e-scooter rentals following a public consultation. Since May 2023, the Madrid city council had put regulations in place for the rental e-scooter market, allowing only Dott from Amsterdam, Germany’s Tier Mobility, and US-based Lime, which operates through Uber’s app.
Each operator was permitted to rent out 2,000 scooters. These companies were required to provide the mayor’s office with access to their data and to implement technology that would ensure customers parked scooters in designated areas and could not rent them in pedestrian-only zones or near historic parks.
However, the operators did not comply with these requirements, as noted in the statement, which also mentioned they have 20 days to file an appeal.
E-scooter providers, including Lime, Dott and Tier, Mobility licenses to be cancelled from October due to issues with circulation and parking.
Madrid will ban app-based e-scooter rentals after the city’s three licensed operators failed to enforce limits on their users’ riding areas and parking, according to the city’s mayor.
José Luis Martínez-Almeida announced on Thursday that the licenses for Lime, Dott, and Tier Mobility would be revoked starting in October, and no new licenses would be granted to other operators.
“The market was found to be incapable of meeting the requirements set by the mayor’s office to ensure the highest level of safety for citizens,” he said in a statement. The shared e-scooter system has faced criticism in cities worldwide for reckless driving and improper parking by some users.
Following a public consultation, Paris banned e-scooter rentals last year.
Since May 2023, Madrid’s city council had regulated the e-scooter rental market, allowing only Dott, Tier Mobility, and Lime to operate, with each authorized to rent out 2,000 scooters.
These companies were required to provide the mayor’s office with access to their data and implement technology to ensure scooters were parked in designated areas and not used in pedestrian zones or near historic parks.
However, the operators failed to comply, the statement said, adding they have 20 days to appeal the decision.
The Scottish government is being encouraged to introduce shared e-scooter trials in towns and cities to support the country’s climate targets.
A new policy briefing from CoMoUK, a national charity focused on shared transport, highlights that Scotland has “missed out” on the benefits of e-scooters, which offer a convenient, affordable, and eco-friendly mode of travel.
Addressed to the Scottish government, public authorities, and the UK Department for Transport, CoMoUK’s guidance follows a statement earlier this year from Scotland’s Transport Secretary, Fiona Hyslop, who suggested that e-scooters would “inevitably” be legalised in the country.
“Since the initial launch of e-scooter trials in England in summer 2020 there hasn’t been an expansion into other areas,” CoMoUK Chief Executive Richard Dilks told Zag Daily. “We believe areas that have local authorities and operators who are keen to participate in new trials should have them, whether they happen to be in England or Scotland.
“The Transport Secretary’s comments earlier this year were welcome, and we hope our policy briefing will inform her thinking and help build momentum around e-scooter trials.”
According to Richard, UK officials need to work closely with their counterparts north of the border to get e-scooter trials off the ground in Scotland.
“The legal use of e-scooters and decisions around their introduction is broadly a reserved matter for the UK Government. However, in addition to any legislation brought forward by the UK Government, further amendments to devolved legislation would also be required,” a Transport Scotland spokesperson told Zag Daily.
“Ministers in the previous UK Government publicly stated their intention to bring forward a new regulatory framework to enable the use of micro-mobility vehicles including e-scooters. Both primary and secondary legislation would be required, therefore the timescales for when such a regulatory framework would be in effect remain unclear.
“Transport Scotland will continue to engage with the current UK Government and monitor developments in this area.”
CoMoUK’s policy briefing
CoMoUK’s briefing identifies Scotland’s major cities like Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, and Dundee as ideal locations for shared e-scooter schemes due to their population size. It also highlights smaller towns like Inverness, Perth, Stirling, and tourist spots such as Fort William as potential candidates for such trials.
The charity believes that pilot schemes would implement strict regulations to enhance road safety, addressing the current issue of illegal, unregulated e-scooters on Scottish roads. CoMoUK has also called on the UK government to legalize e-scooters to mitigate safety concerns related to unregulated vehicles.
Their research shows that serious safety incidents occur in only one out of every 500,000 e-scooter trips, and they argue that trials could help Scotland achieve its goal of reducing motor vehicle traffic by 20%.
Richard Dilks concluded by urging Transport Scotland to collaborate with UK authorities and move forward with pilot schemes as soon as possible.
Comments Off on IEC TC125 calls for Battery Experts
TC125 of the International Electric Committee (IEC) is dedicated to the development of standards for e-transporters. A while ago, the TC decided to investigate existing battery standards and requirements with a view to developing appropriate requirements for batteries use in personal e-transporters, such as self-balancing vehicles and e-scooters. That work is being carried out as a Preliminary Work Item (PWI) 125-4. The project leader of this PWI, Wangtan Yuan, has now launched the following call for additional experts to join this battery project.
Project Overview
Objective: To develop appropriate safety requirements for batteries used in personal e-transporters, such as self-balancing scooters or electric scooters.
Scope: Identifying safety risks, evaluating current standards, and formulating appropriate safety requirements
Goal: To provide a scientific and practical basis for international standardization in the field of batteries for personal e-transporters
Expertise Sought: We are looking for industry professionals with expertise in battery technology and safety for personal e-transporters as well as in consumer safety
Expert Responsibilities: Experts are expected to engage in online/f2f (if possible) discussions, to provide professional insights based on their expertise and to assist in drafting the proposal
How to Join If you are interested in contributing to the project: 1) Contact your national standardisation institute to join IEC TC125 WG1 2) Send an introduction email to: Wangtan Yuan (Project Leader): wangtan.yuan@ninebot.com, to François Rummens (Assistant Secretary of IEC/125): francois.rummens@ceb-bec.be.
We look forward to collaborating with you to enhance the safety of personal e-transporters globally.
Wangtan Yuan, Project Leader
LEVA-EU is also part of IEC TC125. You’re welcome to contact technical director, Bram Rotthier, bram@leva-eu.com, if you have further questions on the procedure to join and on the functioning of TC125.
Comments Off on European city study finds that more flexible regulations increase e-scooter popularity
Deloitte has conducted a survey of 155 cities across the continent and found that the cities with the most flexible regulations for electric scooters resulted in more affordable pricing and a higher uptake level among customers.
Deloitte’s findings report that in cities with higher regulations that involve public tenders, users are found to pay roughly 19% more per ride.
Since e-scooters were first launched in the mid-2010s, there has been a wide range of regulatory models that have been applied in various European cities however since then there has been a lack of research that examines the results and impacts of each model.
Deloitte divided the regulatory models of various cities into three categories:
Light regulation refers to open markets, meaning that e-scooter services don’t have to comply with regulatory restrictions, resulting in no restrictions for vehicle fleet sizes and an unlimited amount of e-scooter operators being allowed to enter the city market and offer their services freely.
Medium Regulation means that e-scooter operators must obtain a permit from authorities to operate in the city. In this type of model, operators may have to comply with specific operational requirements such as redistributing vehicles that have been poorly parked within a set time and they may have to pay fees to the city.
High Regulation refers to the involvement of tenders, which is when cities invite e-scooter operators to enter competitive proposals, which detail their planned offering on fleet size, pricing and fee structures, service quality, sustainability measures, and operational plans.
Stijn Vandeweyer, ITRG sector leader at Deloitte Belgium, said: “There has recently been a trend among European cities toward stricter e-scooter regulations due to a perception among policymakers that the more stringent regulatory models enable better monitoring and management of shared e-scooter services in their cities, thereby improving the quality of the services for their citizens. However, the research for this report has shown that Light Regulation models (especially MoUs) and Medium Regulation models can both provide cities with the degree of control needed to ensure quality and responsiveness to the needs of their citizens.”
Findings
Deloitte have found that more European cities have changed their regulatory approach in adopting stricter e-scooter regulations rather than making them more flexible.
Cities with lighter or medium regulations including Vilnius, Dusseldorf and Lisbon had a higher take-up of e-scooters, due to there being more competition between e-scooter operators, resulting in more affordable prices and therefore a higher usage rates from customers.
Deloitte has also suggested five recommendations for optimising micromobility in cities, including the suggestion that at least four e-scooter companies should operate in each European city to enable competition for lower consumer pricing, so that more citizens are able to take up this sustainable form of mobility.
E-scooters can be legally used on Irish roads since 20 May 2024. The Road Traffic and Roads Act 2023 created a new vehicle class called powered personal transporters.
You do not need a licence to ride one and your e-scooter does not need to be registered, taxed or insured. You must be 16 or over to use an e-scooter. An e-scooter must have a CE mark and the retailer must give you a declaration of conformity when you buy it.
Technical requirements
In Ireland, e-scooters must:
Weigh a maximum of 25 kilograms (including batteries)
Travel at speeds of 20 km/h or less
Have an electric motor with a maximum power output of 400 watts or less
Have wheels of at least 200mm diameter
Have front and rear lights (switched on during lighting-up hours and darkness), reflectors, front and rear brakes, and a bell
Have a manufacturer’s plate showing the power output, weight, and design speed
Be in roadworthy condition
Rules on using e-scooters
Where you can use an e-scooter
E-scooters can be used on local, regional, and national roads. They cannot be used on motorways.
You can use cycle and bus lanes.
You must drive on the left.
You must not use an e-scooter on footpaths, pedestrianised areas or on motorways.
E-scooters are not allowed on State provided public transport, Luas, rail, or bus services (due to concerns with lithium batteries).
Rules of the road
Follow the rules of the road, especially for traffic lights, pedestrian crossings, and zebra crossings.
You must follow signals given by a Garda or school warden.
Gardaí can confiscate e-scooters ridden by people under 16.
Only one person can ride an e-scooter at a time.
E-scooters are not designed for carrying goods or passengers.
You must not park an e-scooter in no-parking zones like loading bays, accessible parking and charging bays.
You must not use your mobile phone while driving an e-scooter.
Transport minister ‘not going to sugarcoat’ disruption to 60,000 people to last until 2025
During the closure of one of Sydney’s major train lines, thousands of commuters in the area face the prospect of more than doubling their daily journey times, even if the government succeeds in recruiting 160 replacement bus drivers within the next two months.
As the T3 line undergoes a 12 to 14-month shutdown for conversion into a driverless metro line, Transport for New South Wales has unveiled its plan to accommodate up to 60,000 daily commuters affected by the closure, trialling e-scooters as an alternative mode of transportation.
The transport minister, Jo Haylen, acknowledged the shutdown would be an “inconvenient and difficult period for commuters in this part of Sydney. We’re not going to sugarcoat this – communities along the T3 lines are going to have a tough time, but there will be services available for them”.
The Inner West Council is deliberating on approving the government’s request to host Sydney’s second e-scooter trial during the T3 shutdown. However, concerns were raised regarding resident safety, with the initial 10 linked stations proposed by TfNSW suggested to be cut to just 3 by council staff.
The current trains on the T3 line accommodate over 1,000 commuters during peak hours. While the metro line’s completion in 2025 promises trains running every four minutes during peak times, interim measures include “high-frequency” replacement bus services with three dedicated routes through Sydney’s inner west and southwest.
According to TfNSW’s latest projections, the replacement bus service between Sydenham and Bankstown is expected to take 58 minutes during evening peak hours, compared to the 24 minutes by train.
Despite the effort to recruit additional bus drivers, there remains a chronic shortage of drivers across Sydney. Transit Systems, the private bus operator hired for the replacement services, Transit Systems, has made progress in recruitment but faces challenges due to the existing shortage.
While Transport Minister Haylen expresses confidence in meeting the driver shortfall, concerns persist within the Rail, Tram and Bus Union regarding the feasibility of finding enough drivers. The opposition transport spokesperson, Natalie Ward, criticizes the government’s planning for the conversion project, citing increased driver vacancies and delays in implementation.
Comments Off on Eflow officially launches company LinkedIn page
German shared mobility manufacturer extends its presence on B2B social platform
Eflow aspires to improve the future of urban mobility with its extensive fleet expertise and high quality bicycles that can be modified to meet customer requirements.
Its state-of-the-art bicycles, e-bikes and electric scooters offer a versatile, sustainable and eco-friendly alternative to conventional private transport, by working closely with companies, cities & municipalities to develop shared mobility solutions.
The Eflow team has been fully committed to developing modern electromobility for over 10 years, and its products blend the knowledge, experience & passion from numerous experts including CEO, Bernd Adamski, who is a highly reputable figure in the bike industry, pro-triathlete Anja Ippach knows what matters to riders when they’re in the saddle and bicycle designer Norbert Haller is one of the most renowned in his field.
Eflow invites mobility enthusiasts to follow its LinkedIn page to learn more about its exciting projects, latest developments and vision for the future of mobility.
A recent study published in the Journal of Safety Research reveals that privately owned, lighter e-scooters compare poorly to the larger versions designed for rental schemes.
E-scooters can vary significantly in key aspects such as steering and braking capabilities, wheel size, engine, and suspension systems, all of which can have harmful implications in the event of a crash.
One of the authors of the study is Marco Dozza, Professor in Active Safety and Road-user Behaviour at Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg. “Individuals look for economical and transportable products, favouring light and foldable e-scooters that unfortunately also have the issues mentioned above.”
E-scooters available in city rental schemes often feature larger wheels, superior steering and braking capabilities, and better suspension systems, than e-scooters available for private purchase, which tend to be smaller and less reliable in crash avoidance.
In the study, Marco Dozza and his colleagues at Chalmers compared a large e-scooter, a light e-scooter, and a bicycle (both in power-assisted and non-power-assisted modes) in field trials to determine any variations in manoevrability constraints when avoiding a rear-end collision by braking and/or steering.
The results showed that braking performance does vary between the different vehicles. Specifically, e-scooters are not as effective at braking as bicycles, but the large, rental-type e-scooter demonstrated better braking performance than the light e-scooter. Regarding steering performance, no statistically significant difference was observed. The bicycles were perceived as more stable, manoeuvrable, and safe than the e-scooters.
Influence of previous experience
An individual’s previous experience in riding a bicycle can be assumed to have some influence on a rider’s ability to handle a critical situation when riding an e-scooter. There is the potential for a false sense of ability and confidence driving a seemingly similar vehicle.
“The results from the study suggest that new micromobility vehicles necessitate ad-hoc training to be safe. The fact they resemble a familiar and possibly overtrained vehicle – the bike – may trick us to believe that we know how to master them but that is not necessarily the case,” says Marco Dozza.
Because we can transfer our balance skills directly from a bicycle to an e-scooter, there can be an initial sense that it is easy to ride an e-scooter. However, when faced with an emergency and need to brake, the expectations we have from our previous experiences of cycling do not match – we may overestimate the braking ability of the e-scooter, with clear hazardous implications.
“One third of all e-scooters crashes happen on the first ride. Our results suggest that an expectation mismatch on manoeuvring performance would explain this puzzling finding that has been confirmed in multiple studies.”
Vehicle weight and steering
The study authors note that the heavier rental e-scooters could, in the event of a collision, pose more of a hazard. Furthermore, they advised that riders should familiarise themselves with alternative collision-avoidance strategies to braking.
Marco Dozza states: “In general, when vehicles are heavier, collisions are more severe. While larger e-scooters proved to brake better, any time they collide they may cause more damage than lighter vehicles. Further, harsh braking on low-friction surfaces, like ice or wet leaves, may also destabilise a vehicle. In our trials, the tarmac was dry and smooth so we do not know if larger e-scooters would perform well in wet or icy conditions as well.”
“If there is space for moving aside, and braking is not enough to stop in time, steering is a better alternative. Because small e-scooters suffer from longer braking distances than bikes and larger e-scooters, the situations in which steering is a better alternative than braking are more common. Unfortunately, our study shows that participants are less comfortable steering away to avoid a collision when riding an e-scooter than when riding a bicycle.”
Marco Dozza shared crucial advice for riders new to e-scooters: “Practice braking and steering avoidance maneuvers in an empty space. Do not wait for a critical situation to happen before testing how the vehicle can brake or steer. The simplest exercise is to imagine a line on the road and try to brake as late and as close as possible to the line. Most people will overshoot, and many may be surprised by how much. Repeating this exercise a few times may already be enough to make a difference.”
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