In a recent development, a growing number of public transport companies in Germany are enforcing a ban on electric scooters starting March 1. Notably, these bans are predominantly concentrated in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Following the lead of Rheinbahn in Düsseldorf and DVG in Duisburg, which announced their bans a few days ago, several other transport companies have now joined in. This includes KVB in Cologne, SWB in Bonn, VRS in the Cologne/Bonn region, DSW21 in Dortmund, and Ruhrbahn in Essen. Bogestra also intends to implement the ban, albeit somewhat later, starting April 1, in Bochum, Gelsenkirchen, Herne, and Witten.
See also: German Cities Düsseldorf and Duisburg to Prohibit Electric Scooters
The series of bans originating from North Rhine-Westphalia align with a recommendation by the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV). The VDV has recently released detailed information warning about the risk of fire and explosion associated with electric scooter batteries. This concern was triggered by incidents of fires and explosions in public transport vehicles in cities such as London, Barcelona, and Madrid.
It’s important to note that the bans specifically target electric scooters, while pedelecs, electric wheelchairs, and four-wheeled electric vehicles for individuals with reduced mobility remain unaffected. This distinction is made due to the higher safety standards met by the batteries of these exempted vehicles.
See also: Madrid Metropolitan Area Implements Temporary Ban on E-Scooters Following Subway Fire
Making the decision to implement these bans was not taken lightly by the bus and train operators. Ralf Habbes, the operations manager at DSW21, emphasized the need for consistent regulations, stating, “We know, of course, that some passengers take the e-scooters with them in our vehicles to cover the rest of their journey. This is basically a sensible combination of climate-friendly modes of transport in terms of the transport transition. However, when it comes to blatant safety risks, which are uniformly assessed by all experts, we must make consistent regulations in the interests of passengers.”
