This week's Top 3: police cracking down on scooters in London and Dublin, a new global player for car sharing, Seville launches scooter consultation
1. Police crack down on illegal electric scooters in London and Dublin
In unconnected initiatives, police in London and Dublin have both been cracking down on e-scooter riders. In Dublin, where e-scooters require both a driving licence and insurance, the Gardaí have been confiscating scooters and imposing €125 fines. In London, where e-scooters are illegal to ride on public roads or pavements, the Metropolitan Police have announced that they will be stopping e-scooter riders and issuing them with warnings, but will only confiscate scooters if they are being ridden dangerously. Both the UK and Irish governments are considering how to introduce new regulations to legalise e-scooters, but they are proving increasingly popular consumer items in London and Dublin in the meantime.
2. Car sharing takeover creates new global player
US peer-to-peer car sharing platform, Getaround, has acquired French car sharing firm Drivy for $300m to create a new global player in the car sharing market. Combined, Drivy and Getaround now have more than five million users, and the acquisition marks Getaround’s first entry into the European market. As part of the deal, Drivy founder and CEO Paulin Dementhon will run the company’s operations in Europe as CEO for the continent. The move will be seen as a response and a challenge to OEM car sharing platforms like the Daimler-BMW joint venture, ShareNow.
3. Seville launches public consultation on electric scooters
The Traffic and Transport Administrative Service of the General Directorate of Mobility in Seville, Spain, has launched a public consultation for new electric scooter rules. Local residents, companies and organisations have 30 days to submit suggested changes to provisionally approved regulations for the operation of electric scooters in the city. The proposed regulations require electric scooters to be operated in designated bike lanes and not go over a speed of 25km per hour. The City Council hopes to introduce the new rules in the summer.
This is a weekly note covering the top three developments in the regulation of on-demand transport in Europe. It covers taxis, ride-sharing, car sharing, carpooling, bikes, e-bikes, scooters, shared mopeds and anything else that's relevant to the sector. If you'd like to receive this direct to your inbox then please enter your email address below:
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