The mayor of Madrid City Council, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, announced that rental scooters will be banned from October, as the council plans to withdraw the 6,000 licences granted last year to the three companies, Dott, Lime, and Tier Mobility, that offered this service in the capital.
Although the process is likely to take longer than first hoped, and the companies have been invited to file objections, it may not be until December before it comes into play, the news comes just one year after granting licences to three companies providing electric scooters for rent in Madrid, because, according to the mayor, they are “failing to comply with the conditions imposed by Madrid City Council”.
The improper use that some users make of these types of vehicles, the places where they are often parked and the danger they pose to pedestrians are said to be the reasons why the city council has decided to revoke the concessions of these three companies and ban rental electric scooters.
“The technological aspect has not been sufficient, the conditions for there to be concessionaire companies in Madrid are not met,” explained Almeida, who reiterated that “there will be no new authorisations for companies by the city council.”
In 2022 alone, according to data from Madrid City Council, scooter rental companies accumulated up to 94,927 fines. This is due, for example, to the fact that users park these vehicles on pavements, obstructing pedestrian traffic, or that it is common to see scooters with two occupants, which is prohibited by law.
The decision to revoke the concessions to the companies is due to “the fact that the three operators violated the conditions established in the authorisations, a justified cause in the specifications for unilaterally withdrawing the permits without the right to compensation,” explains the city council.
Despite the decision of Almeida’s governing team, the mayor has clarified that electric scooters for personal use will continue to be allowed in the city, as long as the mobility regulations in force are respected.
