Pedestrian ‘jungle’: the row in Paris over rented e-scooters

Paris was the first city in Europe to open up to the ‘free-floating’ shared electric scooter market in 2018, where scooters could be left anywhere and picked up by mobile app. Photograph: Eric Gaillard/Reuters

Paris is considering a ban on rented electric scooters, warning that its fleet of 15,000 for-hire scooters presents safety concerns, is stressing pedestrians, clogs up city streets and is yet to prove its positive impact on the environment.

Mayor Anne Hidalgo is expected to announce a decision on the future of rental e-scooters in the coming weeks as the French capital’s three operators – Lime, Dott and Tier – hope to renew their licences which expire in February. The operators have proposed a series of changes such as licence plates so police can track traffic offences and ID checks to make sure users are over 18.