The City of Turku is planning to ban the use of rental electric scooters on weekend nights. The move follows the introduction of new restrictions by a micromobility law that came into effect in June.
Micromobility refers to movement using bicycles, light electric vehicles, or motor-assisted bicycles. Going forward, rental operators of such services will need to obtain a 'micromobility license' issued by municipalities. The licence conditions would allow municipalities and cities to regulate and oversee, among other things, the operating times, parking and driving speeds of rental vehicles.
Turku, Helsinki, and several other cities are currently developing their licensing model for rental electric scooters. The plan is to finalise the model this fall and implement it at the start of next year.
"No decisions have been made yet, but we have prepared for a driving ban in Turku’s city centre during weekend nights, for example from midnight to 5 a.m.," said Noora Salmelainen, project coordinator for mobility services at the City of Turku.
She pointed out that a weekend night driving ban rule in place in Helsinki has reduced serious accidents and drunk driving.
Recently, Finland introduced a blood alcohol limit and age limit for using electric scooters.
Helsinki to keep weekend night bans
As part of a trial that began in 2021, the City of Helsinki banned e-scooter use on weekend nights. Reetta Putkonen, Director of traffic and street planning for Helsinki, told Yle in an email that the city plans to continue the weekend night ban under the new law.
"The weekend night driving ban has been effective in reducing problems, while still allowing the business to operate quite well, since the service remains available at other times," Putkonen said.
From the City of Turku’s perspective, the biggest issue with rental electric scooters has been parking, and tackling this is a priority.
"In the city centre, scooters are often parked on sidewalks, even though there are designated parking areas. More parking areas are being planned, and we are also planning parking and driving ban zones in Turku’s city centre,” Noora Salmelainen said.
Rental company: "Unnecessary restriction"
Voi Technology Finland, which offers rental electric scooters, views Turku’s planned driving ban as an unnecessary restriction on rental scooters.
However, the company praises the alcohol limit and age regulations.
Voi’s Country Manager Max Thelen told Yle that the company understands the safety concerns that the nighttime driving ban aims to address.
"Our view is that it is not worth rushing into such restrictive measures now that the new legislation is in place. It is worth taking the time to assess the impact first. It is worth remembering that the majority of use is during weekday commuting, not at night," she said.
