Berlin to limit number of e-scooters permitted within the Ring

Transport Minister for Berlin Manja Schreiner (CDU) has announced that the city will soon limit the number of e-scooters that can legally be rented within the S-Bahn Ring.

19.000 e-scooters allowed in central Berlin

Berlin’s relationship with e-scooters has never been easy. Now, the city has announced that it will limit the number of e-scooters that are allowed to be rented within the limits of the city’s Ring S-Bahn line to 19.000. This space makes up about 88 km² of the city's 891 km².

According to an announcement from the Ministry for Transport, this will go down from the 25.000 that are currently for rent in central Berlin. Outside of these limits, the rental possibilities will remain endless for e-scooter companies.

Berlin could further cut number of permitted e-scooters

The new rules will be introduced by March 2024 but could be extended in the future. If the city feels that there is an insufficient improvement when it comes to decluttering the pavements of discarded e-scooters by the summer, it has said that the permitted number will be further reduced.

“Micromobility belongs to modern transport services, however, these services must be as orderly and safe as possible for all users,” Schreiner told Tagesspiegel.

Back in November 2022, a survey found that in some of the city's districts, locals stumble upon an incorrectly parked or abandoned e-scooter or bike every 77 metres. This can be dangerous for many groups of people: cyclists, when scooters are dumped on the cycle path, and blind or partially-sighted people, who are at a higher risk of tripping over the abandoned scooters.

As well as limiting the number of scooters for rent within the centre of Berlin, the senate has said it will organise more staff to patrol and tidy scooter hotspots.

Thumb image credit: Heiko Kueverling / Shutterstock.com