Discussion about regulating electric scooters has resumed

A new kicksharing season has started in Russia. The Moscow authorities announced the launch of an electric scooter rental service yesterday – 60 thousand devices were released on the roads. Representatives of departments on Tuesday reported to the HRC on what measures have been taken as part of the government-approved “road map” of measures for “additional regulation of SIM.” Members of the public were dissatisfied with the pace of change.

Rental electric scooters in Moscow appeared in parking lots on Monday after a winter break; the capital’s Department of Transport officially announced the start of the season a day later. Residents and guests of the city have 60 thousand electric scooters and 3 thousand bicycles available for rent (later there will be 11 thousand). Kicksharing has also partially started operating in Krasnogorsk, Dolgoprudny, Khimki and Mytishchi near Moscow – the regional authorities will announce this in the coming days. St. Petersburg, Kazan, Saratov are preparing for the season. Private electric scooters, unicycles and other personal mobility devices (PIMs) are already appearing on the streets.

At the same time, the discussion about the problems associated with the regulation of SIM, which had died out in the winter, is gaining momentum. On Tuesday, in particular, an event at the Presidential Council for Human Rights (HRC) was dedicated to this with the participation of officials, representatives of regional authorities and business. The head of the Human Rights Council, Valery Fadeev, again drew attention to the potential danger of this type of transport. Yesterday, the magazine “Road Safety” (published by the Scientific Center for Road Safety of the Ministry of Internal Affairs) provided statistics for 2023: the accident rate involving SIM in the Russian Federation more than tripled over the year (up to 3.1 thousand accidents), the number of deaths – more than twice (up to 43 people).

In March last year, we recall, new rules for electric scooters came into force; in October, the government approved a “road map” of measures for “additional regulation of SIM.” The most anticipated document of the card is the amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses, which strengthen sanctions for violations of traffic rules by SIM users. Today the fine does not exceed 1.5 thousand rubles. The amendments from Senator Andrei Klishas are used as a basis. The government is preparing a review, Ministry of Transport spokesman Vladimir Lugovenko said yesterday, and then the document will go to the State Duma. In particular, a fine of up to 30 thousand rubles is being introduced. for drunk driving SIM; up to 15 thousand rubles – for causing harm to health; up to 5 thousand rubles – for speeding, etc. Amendments must be adopted before July 1, the road map provides, so it is possible that increased fines will begin to apply already in this kicksharing season. Mr. Lugovenko also spoke about the development of changes to the traffic rules and amendments to the law on traffic management: there will be mandatory registration of SIM cards in the electronic register, rules for identifying users, clarified responsibilities of road users, etc. But all these documents will be developed, at best, by the end 2024.

Representatives of other departments also reported on the work being carried out. Deputy Head of the Ministry of Health Andrei Plutnitsky spoke about plans to conduct a study of typical injuries when using SIM and develop recommendations for their treatment. The application for funding, the official specified, should be reviewed before April 1, but the work itself will only be carried out in 2025. Rosstandart representative Zakhar Osoka spoke about plans to introduce road signs indicating “separate infrastructure” for SIM, but work on writing them has only just begun.

“Are we going to wait until the thousands of injured people turn into tens of thousands? — Valery Fadeev was indignant. “We must soon stop at least the practice of driving on sidewalks at a speed of 40 km/h.” He was supported by the deputy head of the State Duma Committee on Transport Stanislav Moskvichev: “The bill announced by the Ministry of Transport, it turns out, will not reach the State Duma until next year. This is a little late given the severity of the problem.”

The representative of the Ministry of Digital Development, Mikhail Prokhorov, in turn, proposed introducing mandatory registration for public services of all kicksharing users in order to exclude minors from the process. At the federal level, it is necessary to regulate the work of couriers, noted Oleg Zaitsev, head of the legal department of the Moscow Department of Transport. This is “one of the most problematic issues,” confirmed traffic police representative Viktor Stelmakh. The head of Roszdravnadzor, Alla Samoilova, said that in the near future, “due to a number of circumstances,” more disabled people in electric wheelchairs may appear on the streets – this also needs to be kept in mind when developing the SIM system.

While federal authorities are developing regulations, regional officials are taking their own measures to control the situation. The capital’s mayor’s office increased the number of “slow” zones in parks and pedestrian spaces from 250 to 300, and also agreed with businesses to install numbers on electric scooters (back and front): they will be read by cameras to track the movement of a specific SIM or the moment of an accident, combining information from tracks via satellite. There were numbers last season, but they were small, and there were only ten cameras for reading; now there will be more.

Whoosh said yesterday that it will continue to set up a system for identifying trips on SIM together and testing a user identification system. Yurent also equipped its SIM sensors to prohibit the use of a scooter by two people, as well as turn signals and smoother brakes. Yandex has installed more advanced devices that determine the location of the SIM.

The Transport Committee of St. Petersburg signed an agreement with business, which also provides for new streets where the use of SIM is prohibited. The authorities want to launch a chatbot on Telegram to record violations of the use of scooters. The authorities of Saratov promised to install signs prohibiting movement on SIM on a number of streets in the city center by April 1.

Director of the Micromobility Association Ksenia Erdman, speaking at the HRC, noted that the fleet of private SIM cards on the roads is estimated at 500-700 thousand units – twice as much as rental ones. “We don’t understand who owns them, who rides on them, how to find the owner, the main attention should be focused on them,” she urged. “Every time we discuss this problem as new, every time we hear that we will introduce new regulation,” concluded HRC member Kirill Kabanov. “But now it feels like we are trying to tighten the standards to fit an existing multi-billion dollar business. None of this will work. We won’t oblige delivery workers to follow the rules either, but they don’t want to. Let’s decide: we protect the interests of business or think about the safety and interests of citizens.”

Ivan Buranov