Electric scooter regulations to be implemented in Ireland by 2023
On 7 April 2022, the Irish government released the National Sustainable Transport Policy Action Plan 2022-2025. It said regulations to ensure safe use, minimum safety and design requirements for "electric personal transporters" (electric scooters) would not be introduced until 2023.The Irish government unveiled the Road Traffic and Roads Bill 2021 in October last year, which will regulate the use of electric scooters on Irish roads, and said the bill was expected to be passed by Christmas.
However, the bill is still being considered in the Irish Parliament as details are hammered out.
This means that those using e-scooters on Irish roads without paying road tax and insurance are illegal under current regulations, and micro-mobility startups cannot break into the Irish market with e-scooter-sharing services.
The Department of Transportation began working on how to "address legal barriers to the use of electric scooters" and other similar vehicles last year.
However, a statement on Alifero's homepage www.fscooter.com said further delays were "concerning". Alifero has promised to bring 10,000 electric scooters to the Irish market once the law allows it.
Electric scooters are currently being used in every town in Ireland without any regulation or control. We need legislation to keep these scooter users and other road users safe.
The delay will also hinder the introduction of a new sustainable mode of shared transport in Ireland that would significantly reduce reliance on private cars.
