Barcelona is set to slap e-scooter users with fines of up to €500 (£415) for riding on pavements, in a bid to curb antisocial behaviour linked to the surge of e-scooter riders in the city. The city council will also impose fines for those caught using e-scooters without a helmet from 1 February.
Under new regulations, e-scooter speeds are capped at 25km/h (15.5mph). Adrià Gomila, who oversees mobility in Barcelona, has warned that if e-scooter speeds exceed this limit, they should be categorised as motorcycles and will require a licence.
He said: “These measures are designed to bring about a change of behaviour on the part of some users, improve safety and be of collective benefit.”
This comes after Madrid announced it would ban e-scooters rented through mobile apps, following the failure of the city’s three licensed operators – Lime, Dott and Tier Mobility – to enforce limits on their clients’ circulation or control their parking. Mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida stated on Thursday that the licences of these companies would be revoked from October, adding that the city had no plans to grant new licences to any other operators.
“The market was found to be incapable of meeting the requirements set by the mayor’s office to ensure the highest level of safety for citizens,” he said in a statement.
The “scooter sharing system” has sparked controversy in cities globally, with complaints about reckless driving and careless parking by some users. Paris took a stand against e-scooter rentals last year following a public consultation.
Since May 2023, Madrid’s city council has tightened its grip on the rental e-scooter market, giving the green light exclusively to Amsterdam’s Dott, Germany’s Tier Mobility, and the US firm Lime, which can be accessed via Uber’s app.