Nearly a year after the Danish capital Copenhagen ‘banned’ shared e-scooters from its city centre, rental scooters are back again, although with significant restrictions. These include that these scooters cannot be rented from locations within the city centre and can only be parked in one of 240 designated areas.
Following the city's announcement in June 2021 that it would allow back 3200 scooters under certain conditions distributed among 2 to 4 providers, four providers have shown interest in providing rental scooters. Of these, two companies restarted their e-scooter rental operations on 18 October.
Users can still use a rented scooter throughout the city and park it temporarily while the meter is running. However, it is no longer allowed to park and leave the scooter in certain zones, such as ‘densely populated urban areas’. These include parts of Vesterbro, Østerbro, Amager, Christianshavn and the entire city centre. Inspections will be carried out to ensure that people follow the new rules and guidelines. Inappropriately parked scooters, which are not under rental, will be picked up and the cost (DKK 338 per unit) billed to the provider.
The new restrictions are to prevent the return of what Copenhagen’s administration called “the unregulated chaos” that had previously been caused by e-scooters. E-scooters cluttering streets and pavements, and being used dangerously, had become a nuisance to many in the city. The situation led the city council to impose a ban on the parking of e-scooters in public spaces, which became effective in 2020. In addition, operators wanting to rent electric scooters and use public land for the parking, would require a prior agreement from the city, which included strict requirements on their use.
“We have previously experienced major problems with scooters, which were left across sidewalks and bike paths and made it difficult for Copenhageners to get around the city. The problems must be overcome by the new rules. In addition, we will be in constant dialogue with the rental companies to handle any challenges,” said Jesper Borch from the Technical and Environmental Administration.
Although the companies restarting their rental operations in Copenhagen, Voi and TIER, are said to regret the restrictions that have been imposed by the city, they are also happy to return to the city and will cooperate with the city to ensure affordable, safe and sustainable services in an orderly fashion.
The current agreement with the city is for a three-year period, which includes an initial trial period that runs until June 2022. In 2024, the City of Copenhagen will assess whether new invitations will be provided to companies to negotiate an agreement for the provision of e-scooter rental services after 2024.
Sources
Details
- Publication date
- 1 November 2021
- Topic
- Shared mobility
- Country
- Denmark