MOSCOW – Vycheslav Volodin, speaker of Russia’s lower house of parliament and a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, initiated a poll on Tuesday asking Russians whether they support an outright ban on electric scooters. This move comes amid growing public concerns over safety following thousands of accidents involving scooters last year.
Deputies are currently examining legislation to impose fines on irresponsible electric scooter riders, including penalties for speeding and riding while intoxicated. Volodin hopes that these fines will reduce traffic accidents and fatalities caused by “daredevils.”
Electric scooters have become increasingly popular in Russian cities, with e-scooter firm Whoosh staging the country’s only initial public offering in 2022, raising 2.1 billion roubles ($23.8 million). However, the surge in scooter usage has led to more than 3,000 accidents in 2023, according to a senator.
Volodin’s poll on the Telegram app revealed that many Russians support banning scooters. “Away with scooters on the streets,” a woman wrote, echoing the sentiments of around 6,000 other users. “It’s scary to walk, every day I risk my life, I’m afraid for children and grandmothers.”
Around the world, numerous cities have implemented legislation to curb the use of e-scooters due to their rising popularity among delivery service companies, locals, and tourists. Some cities, like Paris, have banned them outright.
“People are concerned about safety on the roads, especially in regards to children,” Volodin wrote on Telegram last week. “The decision to increase the liability for electric scooter drivers should reduce the number of accidents on the roads and ensure the safety of our citizens.”
The legislation’s first reading, which proposes fines up to 30,000 roubles ($340) for drunk riders and up to 5,000 roubles ($55) for speeding, passed last week. Fines would also target multiple riders on a single scooter, transporting a child on a scooter, and refusing a medical examination.
Since the start of this year, authorities have reported more than two-and-a-half times the number of incidents involving scooters compared to the same period last year, Volodin said. Numerous Russian videos online depict collisions involving scooters, and other incidents, including a 2021 event where a culture ministry official was beaten by a group of drunk men angered by his riding a scooter on the pavement.