The French Transport Minister Clément Beaune unveiled a “national plan” on Wednesday, March 29, to regulate the use of electric scooters, four days before the citizens’ vote organized by the City of Paris on April 2 regarding self-service scooters.
Observers saw this announcement as consistent with Paris’s political agenda, as many people consider the use of electric scooters to be hazardous and environmentally harmful. The authorities designed the measures to enhance user safety.
The authorities consulted with local elected officials, the economic sector, and associations advocating safer or less polluting mobility, and then ordered regulations by decree.
The measures affect not only French people who rent the Dott, Lime, and Tier machines but also the 2.5 million owners of personal scooters, a number that should continue to grow. The Federation of Micro-Mobility Professionals (FPMM), a group that unites distributors, reported that electric scooter sales reached over 750,000 units in 2022, following a record-breaking 900,000 units sold in 2021.
The new regulations include raising the minimum age of use from 12 to 14 years old, increasing the prices of fines for dangerous behavior, such as riding with two people, riding on a sidewalk, or disabling the machine, which will now cost €135 instead of €35.
In addition, vehicles will have to be equipped with stop lights and indicators. Although the ministry refuses to impose the wearing of helmets, the road safety delegation is in charge of launching an awareness campaign.
Upmarket shift
According to the FPMM, the electric scooter market is experiencing a shift towards higher-end models in line with safety requirements.
The FPMM reports that scooters priced under €300, which are lighter and less stable, “will decrease from 54% of sales in 2021 to 28% in 2022.”
In contrast, higher-end scooters priced between €500 and €800 now represent 20% of sales in France, compared to only 6% in 2021.