Paris has given its three licensed e-scooter operators a one-month ultimatum: Figure out how to stop your scooters from being used recklessly, parked in forbidden zones and even dumped in waterways.
The city has told the operators—Lime, Dott and Tier—that if it is not satisfied with the answers it may not renew their licenses in February. “All options are on the table, including an end of contracts,” according to Deputy Mayor David Belliard.
He also indicated the city is growing skeptical of their claim to be an environmentally-friendly piece of an overall transportation picture, citing concerns over both the frequent accidents and especially the environmental cost of batteries with short lifespans. The city has called for a new cost-benefit analysis.
There are currently 15,000 scooters on Paris streets, licensed to the three companies. Those contracts were issued after a wild flood of companies and scooters showed up in 2018, leading to chaotic scenes of abandoned and misparked scooters blocking sidewalks. Under the contracts, dedicated parking spaces were created, and speed limits set at 10-20km/h to reduce accidents.
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