The mayor of Marseille, Benoît Payan, announced on Monday, September 11, the withdrawal of 1,500 electric scooters from the city’s free-floating service, which represents 37.5% of the fleet. He denounces the poor regulation of operators and a situation of “anything goes”.
In Marseille, scooters are under scrutiny. 1,500 electric scooters from the free-floating service, which represents 37.5% of the fleet, are set to be removed from the city, as decreed by Mayor Benoît Payan on Monday, September 11. The mayor denounces the poor regulation of operators, including Bird, Lime, and Voi. “There are 4,000 scooters in Marseille and I have decided to remove 1,500 right away, quickly. Why? Because it really is a mess, it’s poorly regulated. I have asked the operators to take drastic measures, and I see that sometimes they have dragged their feet,” the mayor expressed his frustration on France Bleu Provence radio. “If I had as many metro lines as in Paris, I would tell you, from this morning, I am removing the scooters,” he added. However, the second largest city in France has an undersized network, with only two operational lines.
Benoît Payan, who threatens to go further, also asks operators to deploy one-third of the scooters in non-central neighborhoods, in a city that is much larger than Paris, and to respect legal obligations. As of early September, the minimum age for riding an electric scooter has been increased from 12 to 14 years old, and fines have increased from 35 to 135 euros to punish riding with two people on a single scooter or on prohibited lanes.
“The road users themselves must be aware of the consequences of their actions.”
In addition, the mayor has “decided to reduce the speed in front of all schools in Marseille” to 30 km/h following an accident in front of a school on Friday, September 8. A four-year-old student was hit after leaving the school, suffering multiple fractures. “The safety work that falls under the responsibility of the Metropolitan Area must accelerate, as well as the sidewalk safety measures that fall under the responsibility of the City. Road users themselves must be aware of the consequences of their actions when they are behind the wheel or handlebars,” urges a parents’ association.
In early September, Paris also acted against this mode of transportation, which has nearly 400,000 monthly users in the city. It became the first European capital to ban electric scooters from its sidewalks. In a consultative referendum, Parisians voted by nearly 90% against the maintenance of scooter services in the capital, leading to their disappearance. In Marseille, the use of scooters seems to be hanging by a thread for now.
