Prague will ban shared electric scooters as part of a new system of regulating shared transport vehicles from January, approved by Prague Council today.
The reason for the ban is the long-running criticism of the scooters from residents and districts in the centre of Prague, who complain that the parked scooters obstruct the streets and that their users, especially tourists, endanger pedestrians by riding dangerously on the pavements.
The new system, which Prague has been preparing since last year, will be based on contracts between the Prague Technical Administration of Roads (TSK) and operators of bicycles and e-bikes, which can only be stored in designated places. Shared electric scooters will not have this option, which will in practice make it impossible to provide them.
According to the approved document, TSK will remove the scooters if they are parked unauthorised on the streets.
Providers of permitted means of transport will pay the city a fee of 25 crowns per month per bicycle or electric bicycle for the use of parking spaces.
Deputy Mayor Zdenek Hrib (Pirates) submitted the system to Prague Council in June, but the coalition partners from Spolu and the Mayors and Independents (STAN) did not support it. In September, Prague assembly members instructed the council to approve the introduction of the system in October, with effect from January. The city has chosen the system recommended by the ministries of transport, interior and industry and trade, Hrib said earlier.
According to the material submitted, shared electric scooters have a number of negative impacts, such as high accident rates, violation of traffic regulations, and disturbance of public order.
The document states that the city wants to promote shared mobility among Prague residents, but that electric scooters are often used as a source of entertainment, in parks and pavements for pedestrians, rather than as a means of transport. The new regulations will not affect the operation of private scooters owned by Prague residents.
The Prague 1 district authority has long criticised electric scooters. In early October, alongside the parliamentary elections, the district held a local referendum on this and other issues related to tourism, in which residents supported efforts to restrict or completely ban electric scooters in the historical centre. In August, Prague 1 also placed signs banning electric scooters on Nerudova, leading from Malostranské náměstí up to Prague Castle.
