Speed limits or a complete ban: scooter rental business is at a standstill
25 September 2024 20:30
ANALYSIS FROM 
Either slow down or ban scooters. on 21 September, the mayor of Ivano-Frankivsk, Ruslan Martsinkiv, announced that starting next week, the local authorities would consider a speed limit for electric scooter users. This decision was prompted by numerous complaints about the safety of scooter users, who, according to the mayor, “drive as if they have a spare life”, endangering both themselves and other road users.
“We have many complaints about scooter users. They ride as if they have a spare life: they endanger themselves and create accidents on the road. Next week we will consider a significant speed limit for these road users. If this does not change anything, we will raise the issue of a complete ban. What do you think about this?” – Ruslan Martsinkiv
An active discussion arose in the comments to the announcement: some citizens support the initiative, while others object.
MP Ihor Fris also responded to the publication. In response, the mayor of Ivano-Frankivsk proposed to introduce a bill.
“Frankly speaking, delivery cyclists are much more dangerous riding on the pedestrian part at breakneck speed. I think it’s a general concept of compliance with traffic rules,” Igor Fris
If the speed limit does not work, the mayor said he would consider a complete ban on electric scooters in the city. This issue is becoming relevant amidst the growth of the global e-scooter market, which is projected to exceed $5 million by 2033.
“Kicksharing as a business opportunity
The popularity of short-term electric scooter rental, or “kicksharing”, is only growing in Ukraine, which opens up new business opportunities.
Kicksharing works on the principle of car sharing or bikesharing: to rent a scooter, a user has to download a special app, select the nearest scooter on the map, unlock it via a QR code and continue the ride.
However, compliance with traffic rules is critical, otherwise e-scooters can become a source of problems for citizens, as happened in Paris, where scooter rental services were banned due to accidents. To prevent such situations in Ukraine, some companies organise training events to educate riders and teach them how to use scooters safely.
Participants of such events can receive useful gifts, including helmets and promotional codes for free rides. Time will tell if a balance can be found between the popularity of e-scooters and road safety.
Author – Anastasia Fedor
