Temporary ban on e-scooters on public transport in Barcelona

Starting today, February 1, electric scooters in Barcelona will be temporarily banned from public transport for 6 months. In other words, the transport of unfolded and folded scooters on buses, subways, trains, and other types of public vehicles is prohibited.

The measure was announced in early January by the Barcelona area Metropolitan Transport Authority, after a scooter caught fire in a train carriage. This is a preventive and temporary security measure, which aims to ensure the safety of passengers, operators and facilities.

During the period -6 months- the transport operators (Metro, Buses and Trains) will have the objective of drafting a normative that regulates the access of electric scooters, and other electric personal mobility vehicles (VMP) in public transport and facilities.

Failure to comply with the prohibition will be denounced by the intervention teams of the transport operators, and means a fine of 200 euros for the person who takes the e-scooter on public transport, which includes the facilities and platforms. It is worth mentioning that the exceptions are taxis and long-distance trains.

On the other hand, considering that two out of every five trips with VMP are combined with some public transport system, according to the RACC (Royal Automobile Club of Catalonia), many scooter users will have to look for an alternative to their usual route.

This is one of the many measures that are being taken throughout Europe with the intention of regulating the use of electric scooters. A personal mobility vehicle that is increasingly used in cities and that has the facility to move between spaces for cyclists and pedestrians without much difficulty.

Source: El país and El Nacional - CAT.