Electric stand-up scooters: Lime, Dott and Tier to clear Madrid
Madrid City Council no longer wants to allow the three electric stand-up scooters operating there to continue their rental activities from October.
"electric scooters" in Madrid.
(Image: esmadrid.com)
Madrid City Council has decided to revoke the permits for the public rental of e-scooters. The procedure has now been initiated, according to a statement from the city council. This means that after Paris, rental companies in a second European capital are now facing a ban. In a referendum in Paris in April 2023, the vast majority voted against the public rental of electric stand-up scooters in the city.
In Madrid, the companies Lime, Dott and Tier, which are currently active there, are affected. They will probably have to vacate their rental scooters in October, according to the press release. As soon as the procedure is completed and the permits are revoked, they will have 20 days to lodge an appeal.
Several breaches of conditions
In May 2023, the city council introduced a new model for the rental companies and limited their number to three, primarily because the electric stand-up scooters had been parked "inappropriately" and also in places that were not intended for them. Lime, Dott and Tier were approved because they met the criteria set by the city the most. In addition, the number of scooters was limited to 2000 per rental company. These may also only be operated and parked in certain areas, spread over no more than 10 scooters per 10,000 inhabitants.
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However, city inspectors found that the three companies had not complied with the requirements. This also includes the fact that they have withheld the necessary information about their activities, the press release continues. For example, the three rental companies were obliged to ensure that their vehicles were only parked in the permitted locations. However, the city council has no information as to whether the technology has actually been implemented. In addition, the rental companies had not implemented the insurance cover as stipulated in the permits, nor had potential users been offered any courses on how to handle scooters.
In Germany, Gelsenkirchen was the first city to impose a complete ban on the rental of electric stand-up scooters in April of this year. The rental companies there had to remove 350 scooters. They had refused to have the identity of the borrowers checked.
(anw)
