Paris to ban e-scooters from September, operators urge compromise given low voter turnout

The e-scooter ban won 89 per cent of votes amid low turnout in the referendum, with just 7.46 per cent of registered voters

Electric scooters accessed through smartphone apps have operated in Paris since 2018, but the city in 2020 cut the number of operators to three

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Last year, Paris registered 459 accidents with e-scooters and similar vehicles, including three fatal ones. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 5:54pm, 3 Apr 2023

Paris will ban electric scooters from September 1, the French capital’s mayor said, after the public voted to remove them from the streets, however e-scooter operators said on Monday they hoped to stop the plan.

The e-scooter ban won 89 per cent of the votes according to the city hall Twitter account in what was billed as a rare “public consultation” that prompted long queues at ballot boxes around the city. However turnout in the referendum was low at 7.46 per cent of registered voters.

Mayor Anne Hidalgo said she would respect the vote.

“From September 1, there will be no more electric scooters for rent in Paris,” she told a news conference late on Sunday.

Electric scooters accessed through smartphone apps have operated in Paris since 2018, but following complaints about their anarchic deployment, Paris in 2020 cut the number of operators to three. Photo: Reuters

Scooter operators pointed to the low voter turnout and said they hoped Hidalgo would seek a compromise.

“We remain hopeful that we can continue to work with Mayor Hidalgo to adopt sensible regulations instead of a ban on e-scooters, and avoid a step backward for Paris,” a spokesperson for Lime said on Monday.

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