Residents of Paris, France have voted to ban electric-scooter rentals in the city.
The results of Sunday's referendum mean rental companies will have to
pull their combined fleet of 15,000 e-scooters from Paris by Sept. 1.
- 89%
of voters in the referendum voted in favor of the ban. Though the
results are nonbinding, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said she is "committed
to respecting" the result.
- Reports noted that just under 8% of registered voters in the city cast ballots.
- The ban will only apply to rented e-scooters offered by the companies Lime, Tier, and Dott within Paris.
- A
spokesperson for U.S.-based Lime said the company remains "hopeful"
that it can work with Hidalgo to establish further regulations instead
of an outright ban.
- Last year, Paris claimed about 20 million trips on rental scooters, one of the largest worldwide.
- According to France's road safety agency, nationwide, 34 people died last year and 570 were seriously injured while riding on an e-scooter or similar micro-mobility device.
- Paris previously pledged to phase out internal combustion engine vehicles by 2030 as it seeks to become carbon neutral by 2050.
