Electric scooters are now banned in Paris, it is the turn of electric scooters to be better regulated. Launched more than a year and a half ago, the call for tenders to limit the number of electric scooter operators in the streets of the capital to three has (finally) been concluded according to information from Les Echos confirmed by Le Figaro. Unsurprisingly, Mayor Anne Hidalgo’s team has chosen to retain the three best-established operators in the capital: namely, Cityscoot, Yego and Cooltra. A wish to this effect was adopted this Thursday at the Paris Council.
Arrived on the podium in front of a dozen candidates, the three winners are therefore preparing to sign a public domain occupation agreement (CODP), giving them the authorization to deploy their fleet for the next five years. According to the terms of the call for applications, they will thus be able to deploy up to 2,500 machines each for the first two years and up to 3,000 from 2026, but will also have to meet a certain number of obligations. Among them in particular, respecting the public space and the brand new Parisian street code, offering a good working environment to its employees, having stable prospects or even providing guarantees as to the durability of the scooters.
“Our political will is to calm the streets, to bring all modes of travel together peacefully. This is the whole objective of the Street Code and of this call for applications”, welcomed David Belliard, the deputy mayor of Paris in charge of mobility, who ensures that this shared mobility service has enabled to “reduce by 4% the two-wheeled equipment” of Parisians. And to launch: “we choose to support these new forms of mobility, to encourage this model that is more respectful of the environment”.
“Today, we are proud to be one of the winners and thank the City of Paris for renewing its confidence in us for the next five years”, said David Briend, the president of Cityscoot, who evokes “the place of leader » that his group, established since 2016, has kept. « In 7 years, Cityscoot has acquired considerable local experience and has been able to adapt its operational model and its service to the needs of the inhabitants and the city », he added, explaining that this victory “is the result of collective work” by its teams “who work daily for a more sustainable, shared and peaceful city”.
But other operators were left out, like Troopy. The French start-up launched its two Yamaha brand electric scooters in the streets of the capital in the fall. The first, the NEO’s scooter was a 50cc equivalent and the second, the E01 scooter was a 125cc equivalent. Another scenario is when the operator chooses to opt out on their own. This is particularly the case of the Californian operator Lime, which in April 2021 announced its ambition to deploy a fleet of 1,000 electric scooters in Paris and to apply for the City’s call for tenders. Before changing your mind.
It remains to be seen what will happen to these electric scooters in 5 years, when it will be time to take stock. As of September 1, the three electric scooter operators – Dott, Lime and Tier – who won a similar call for tenders in July 2020 will have to pack up. Almost 90% of Parisians said “no” to this mode of transport, during a “citizen vote” organized at the request of the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo. In question ? Their deployment deemed “anarchic” and their dangerousness on the road.
But there is no reason for history to repeat itself, since the difficulties inherent in the rapid deployment of these small machines in Paris do not apply to scooters. “These are not at all the same issues”, we qualify at the Town Hall, explaining that if there is a real problem of regulation of self-service electric scooters in public space , this is not at all the case with electric scooters which can be parked anywhere as long as it is a parking space for two-wheelers or cars. Not to mention that faced with the 15,000 electric scooters, there are currently no more than 5,000 electric scooters available in Paris.