Ireland moves into the trend of electric scooters; Government approved draft legislation allowing e-scooters to be used in public places
DUBLIN: The country is on the path of legislation to move into the era of electric scooters. The government this week approved a draft law allowing e-scooters to be used in public places. According to this, the e-scooter does not need any tax, insurance or driving license.
E-scooters are currently classified in Ireland as ‘powered transporters’. Therefore, registration, motor tax, driving license and insurance are mandatory when used on public roads. They are currently not allowed on public roads in Ireland due to their failure to meet safety standards.
But with the approval of the new legislation, there will be a new category of vehicles called ‘powered personal transporters’. The Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill will allow for a change in the restrictions on such vehicles.
In 2019, the Department of Transport commissioned the Road Safety Authority to review the safety of e-scooters. The considerations were to formulate future policy and control options. The recommendations they made still stand.
The main recommendations were to promote the use of helmets and other protective equipment, to raise public awareness, to ban e-scooters from high-speed roads, and to limit e-scooters to a maximum speed of 6 km/h to protect pedestrians.
Companies targeting the e-scooter market
Various companies have come forward to offer e-scooter services across the country. It is hoped that with the enactment of the legislation, international businesses will also enter the market along with Irish companies.
ZEUS, an Irish company launched in Germany last year, is the first of them.It has now expanded to 17 cities with 2,000 scooters. Damian Young, CEO and Founder of ZEUS, said that their three wheeled devices will be launched in Ireland this year.
Europe’s largest micro-mobility operator, Tier also plans to launch vehicles in Ireland. The Berlin-based company currently operates in 90 cities in Europe and the Middle East. They recently won tenders in Paris and Dubai. Fred Jones, TIER’s Regional General Manager for Northern Europe said the tire is the first ‘climate-neutral’ e-scooter.
The company also recently introduced a new generation of e-scooters with rider-swappable batteries. It will have a network of charging stations in cities. Tire also said that scooters are equipped with sound emitters to reduce the risk. It has partnered with a number of companies to improve safety and address the problem of improper parking of the devices. “We have partnered with the micro-mobility safety app Busby to create a rapid response system in the unlikely event that riders are involved in incidents on the road,” Mr. Jones said.
Taxi company Free Now plans to introduce an e-scooter service here through its app. The company has already partnered with third-party providers such as Voi in other countries across Europe.
Richard Corbett, General Manager for the UK, Ireland and Benelux said Sweden’s Voi, which has markets in more than 50 cities in eleven European countries, has also begun talks targeting Ireland.
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