Prague bans shared e-scooters from 2026 over 'chaos' on sidewalks

By Jason Hovet PRAGUE, Oct 20 (Reuters) – Prague will ban electric scooter rentals from January 2026, with the Czech capital's deputy mayor criticising the tourist-friendly transport option for causing chaos on sidewalks. City councillors on Monday approved a regulatory revamp concerning shared transport choices in the city of nearly 1.4 million whose cobblestoned streets and history attracted more than 8 million tourists in 2024. While bikes – both pedal and electric – face new rules on where they can be parked, e-scooters will not be addressed in the regulation, effectively ending shared e-scooters in the city. "The end of electric scooters approved!" national Pirate party chairman Zdenek Hrib, who is a deputy mayor in charge of transport at Prague's city hall, said on X on Monday. "We are introducing clear rules that will clear public space from uncontrolled scooter traffic, which was often used in the city centre more as a tourist attraction than a means of transport and caused chaos on sidewalks and in pedestrian zones." Prague joins other popular European tourist destinations in cracking down on e-scooters in recent years. Cities have imposed strict safety rules, such as helmets and insurance in Italy, or banned rentals altogether, as in Paris and Madrid. Finland has barred under-15s from using them. Prague officials said they acted on complaints from residents over the dangers of the scooters whizzing by on sidewalks or parks, or blocking sidewalks or street parking spots when not in use. The city, which wants to promote wider use of shared bike services, said e-scooters had higher accident rates than bikes. Lime, one of the biggest operators of shared e-scooters in the city, said it regretted the decision. In cities where there is "constructive dialogue" with operators, "scooters can work very well and serve citizens", Czech news agency CTK quoted Lime's country director Vaclav Petr as saying. Lime did not immediately reply to further questions. (Reporting by Jason Hovet; Editing by Muvija M)

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