Yzabelle Bostyn
NEW e-scooter laws have come into effect today, January 1, in Spain’s Andalucia.
The measures include a ban on bringing the devices on public transport.
Spearheaded by the local Ministry of Development, Planning and Housing, the law follows similar restrictions across Spain.
It sees e-scooters banned on public transport such as metros, buses and boats.
The ban is a temporary measure designed to protect citizens after numerous fires on public transport as a result of e-scooter batteries.
It will remain in place until the devices are deemed safe.
According to the Ministry, the decision was motivated by the National Traffic Department’s (DGT) move to only allow the sale of certified ‘Personal Travel Vehicles’ (VMP).
From January 21, new e-scooters will need to be certified before going to market.
Currently, e-scooters are unregulated, prompting safety concerns from officials.
Any sold before that date can still be used, until a provisional date of 2027.
The new laws follow two reports into e-sccoter safety from Sevilla’s transport network and the Universidad de Sevilla.
The latter concluded ‘the safety of passengers is most important’ and recommended that bans ‘remain in place until the risks disappear’ with further regulation.
Over a year and a half the report found ‘a not insignificant number of dangerous incidents caused by Personal Travel Vehicles.’
Andalucia is not the first area to implement such a ban.
Spanish rail company, Renfe, has recently prohibited passengers bringing the devices on trains, including Cordoba’s metro network.
Madrid, Barcelona and Mallorca have also banned the devices on all public transport, while Valencia has prohibited them on trains.
The devices are also banned on other European transport systems, including the London Underground.
READ MORE:
- ‘Explosion’ on Madrid’s underground Metro: Carriage is left destroyed after faulty E-SCOOTER battery causes blast
- WATCH: E-scooter rider is caught travelling on the A-7 motorway near Guadalmina on Spain’s Costa del Sol as cars zoom past
- E-scooter seriously injures child after two other drunken riders get big fines and a driving ban
