What will the ban on rental scooters in Paris mean for micromobility?
The result of the referendum called by Paris’ mayor, Anne Hidalgo, was beyond contention: 89% of those who voted backed a complete ban on rental scooters. Hidalgo had said she would respect the outcome of the non-binding vote, which means she will now tell the three companies involved in micromobility in the French capital — Dott, Lime and Tier — to remove the 15,000 electric vehicles before September 1. They will continue to operate their electric or conventional rented bicycles.
It should be noted that turnout just 7.5% of registered voters, or 103,084 people, and that the consultation coincided with Sunday’s marathon, with only a small number of voting centers available, leading to long queues. Many Parisians noted on social networks that the vote was dominated by older people, who had the time, motivation and desire to endure those queues. According to most observers, the result of the referendum has absolutely nothing to do with the majority opinion of the city’s residents, but with that of people who were not users of the service and who, moreover, considered it a public danger. In other words, the “overwhelming majority” is of the very slim 7.5% who cast their vote.
Will Paris change after the ban? Probably, and they will be for the worse. The reality is that rental scooters have long been…
