Paris is about to become one particular of the only cities to ban e-scooter rentals

Paris will this week develop into a single of the only cities in Europe with an outright ban on rented e-scooters — as operators plan to ramp up their e-bike fleets to substitute them forward of the 2024 Olympics.

Despite earlier expressing hopes for a final-moment reprieve, the a few firms with e-scooter running licenses in the French money, Lime, Dott and Tier, all verified to CNBC that they will have eradicated their scooters, or trottinettes, by the Sept. 1 deadline.

They experienced a blended fleet of about 15,000 e-scooters in the city.

A referendum held in April gave Parisians two options pertaining to the rental scooters: for or in opposition to.

Firms pointed out that the turnout represented just 7% of these qualified to vote. They also argued the town would slide out of step with other urban hubs embracing an eco-pleasant manner of transport that is well known with visitors in just one of the most-visited cities in the environment. They level out there will be no improve to non-public e-scooter use policies.

But the outcome was emphatic amongst all those who did vote, with 90% in opposition to the trottinettes.

It arrives as cities all around the earth discussion whether or not these motor vehicles, which are unlocked via an app and compensated for by the minute, are a dangerous public nuisance or portion of the foreseeable future of urban mobility.

Shared scooters are however existing in other French towns, which includes Marseille and Lyon.

A lot of cities have released restrictions on scooters, such as pace limitations and parking zones enforced by means of fines for customers. Some allow for them to be ridden on pavements and in bike lanes, other individuals do not. Nevertheless, outright bans by metropolitan areas that have formerly welcomed them are exceptional.

In Europe, Madrid this calendar year reversed a prior ban to enable rental firms back with new conditions, as Copenhagen also did in 2021. Most e-scooters are banned on public streets in the bike-loving Netherlands, and no experience-sharing organizations have entered the industry.

Vacationer hotspots New Orleans and Las Vegas equally have experience-share e-scooter bans, but they continue being in 158 other U.S. cities.

Lime, Dott and Tier all mentioned they would now change their concentration to developing their provision of e-bikes in Paris just after going their scooters in other places.

“When Lime e-scooters will depart Paris by the close of August for other cities in Europe, Parisian riders are previously pivoting to our expanding fleet of e-bikes,” a Lime spokesperson explained to CNBC.

“We now function 2 times the number of e-bikes than we ever did e-scooters, and are inspired by the city’s continued aid for biking forward of the 2024 Olympics.”

Lime’s Paris scooter fleet totaled all around 5,000, vs . all over 10,000 bikes. The corporation mentioned journeys taken on its bikes elevated by 73% in the money last year.

Dott claimed it was sending its scooters to sites where by it has signed new tenders, which includes Bordeaux and throughout Belgium. A spokesperson explained the company was increasing its e-bike fleet, which it hopes to grow into the Paris suburbs in advance of the Olympics, which are due to start off in July following 12 months.

E-bikes are not uncontroversial themselves. Critics say that they clutter pavements and roadways when not saved properly are in some cases made use of on pavements regardless of their important speed capabilities and are also usually utilised by travellers or commuters devoid of helmets.

Valère Rousseau, a Parisian operating in the heritage sector, said he imagined the general public was extra accepting of e-bikes as a helpful manner of journey.

“E-scooters are various. They are incredibly appreciated by young folks but disliked by Parisians since parking is however an concern and it continues to be dangerous — no helmet, sometimes on the pavement,” he instructed CNBC.

Lessening automobile congestion and making the city fully bicycle-available have been some of Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo’s vital priorities.

In 2022, she declared plans to ban most vehicles from several central locations, with street entry only for pedestrians, bicycles, general public transportation and selected permitted cars and trucks.

That follows the pedestrianization of parts including massive sections of the banking institutions of the River Seine, whilst bikes have been specified precedence and most cars and trucks banned together the central industrial Rue de Rivoli.