Barcelona bans e-scooters on public transport

Following an incident that saw one of these devices burst into flames on a local train

On Tuesday, the Metropolitan Transport Authority of Barcelona announced that it is banning electric scooters and unicycles on board the local public transport vehicles. The measure will enter into force from 1 February and for now, it will be of temporary nature with a duration of six months.

This period is supposed to be a chance for the e-scooter operators in the Catalan capital to prepare regulation proposals on how they plan to make the use of said vehicles safer for the public. The ban itself was motivated after an incident, on 17 November last year, when an e-scooter burst into flames on the board of a regional train and resulted in three injuries.

Even after the publication of this prohibition, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, a suburban town of Barcelona, was rocked by news, on Thursday, that an e-scooter caused a fire in a residential building, which resulted in 14 injuries.

Still, support for e-scooters is strong

Whatever the case, the announced ban is more of a temporary suspension, and the authorities were clear to make sure that they still think of the two-wheelers as an important part of the sustainable mobility transition in society.

The six-month prohibition englobes all modes of public transport in the Barcelona metropolitan area, including city buses, intercity buses, metro and regional trains.

Special inspectors will observe for non-compliance with the prohibition, and infractions at the payment barriers will be denounced with a fine of 200 euros.

On the other hand, the public transit authorities will make sure to create more parking spaces at the subway and train stations for e-scooters. More parking sports could be created by adapting Bicibox (city bike storage) for electric scooters and it will also be encouraged that the connecting car parks offer this service.