The public voted to prohibit electric scooters (e-scooters) from the streets, and the mayor of Paris announced the ban on Monday. However, e-scooter operators said they hoped to overturn the decision. According to the city council’s Twitter account, the e-scooters ban received 89% of the votes in what was described as a rare “public consultation” that resulted in long lines at polling places throughout the city. However, only 7.46% of the registered voters participated in the election.
The decision, according to French Transport Minister Clement Beaune was “a massive democratic flop”
Anne Hidalgo, the mayor, stated that she would accept the outcome. She announced at a press briefing late on Sunday that electric scooter rentals in Paris would end on September 1. The drivers of scooters cited the low voter turnout and expressed optimism that Hidalgo would look for a compromise. A spokesperson for Lime said on Monday, “We remain optimistic that we can continue to work with Mayor Hidalgo to adopt sensible regulations rather than a ban on e-scooters, and avoid a step backward for Paris.”
The vote, according to a Dott spokesman, was “heavily impacted by very restrictive voting methods” that resulted in an incredibly low turnout that was heavily weighted towards older age groups. The decision, according to French Transport Minister Clement Beaune, who is rumored to be running for mayor of Paris in 2026, was “a massive democratic flop.” Since 2018, e-scooters have been available in Paris via smartphone applications. However, after complaints about their chaotic deployment, Paris reduced the number of operators to three in 2020.
3 fatal mishaps were among the 459 accidents involving e-scooters that occurred in Paris last year
Similar to restrictions put in place in other cities around the globe, it granted them a three-year contract, mandated that scooter speeds be capped at 20 km/hour, and established designated scooter parking areas. The existing agreements expire in September. Operators had also proposed additional rules, such as verifying that users were over 18, fixing registration plates so that police could identify traffic offenders, and capping the number of passengers at one. 24 individuals lost their lives in scooter accidents in France in 2021, one of them in Paris. 3 fatal e-scooter mishaps were among the 459 accidents involving similar vehicles that occurred in Paris last year.
“In my work, we see a lot of road accidents caused by scooters, so we see the negative effects,” general physician Audrey Cordier, 38, told Reuters after voting against the scooters. Some voters said they would prefer tighter regulations than an outright ban. “I don’t want scooters to do whatever they want on pavements, but banning them is not the priority,” Pierre Waeckerle, 35, said.
