Paris ban on e-scooters comes into force

Paris this month became the first major European city to ban rental e-scooters, five years after being among the first to adopt them.

In a public referendum in April, 89% of Parisians voted in favour of a ban on e-scooters, following a number of injuries and three fatalities. However the landmark referendum was marked by sky-high abstention rates, with only around 8% of registered Parisian voters casting ballots.

Nevertheless Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo said, “Once again Paris innovates. I also want to salute all the municipal agents who ensured the smooth running of operations at the 203 polling stations, as well as the members of the control commission.”

Following initial excitement at their introduction, public opinion soon shifted over safety concerns, street clutter and how much of a positive environmental impact e-scooters make.

In 2020, in response to these concerns, Paris introduced regulations limiting the number of e-scooter operators, as wells as tracking and limiting speeds.

Analysts will monitor e-bike rentals to see if they increase in the absence of e-scooters. Paris’ Vélib bike-rental scheme has seen the biggest rise in recent years.

David Belliard, the Green deputy mayor in charge of transport and public spaces, added, “We know that it’s possible to live in a big city without an electric scooter rental scheme. This is about our larger work to simplify, calm down and de-clutter public spaces in Paris.”

E-scooter providers operating in Paris have now fully reallocated their vehicles to other locations. Privately owned e-scooters are not affected by the ban.