The Moscow City Duma wants to speed up the increase in fines for electric scooter drivers

The Moscow City Duma wants to accelerate the increase in fines for drivers of electric scooters and personal mobility devices (SIM). Speaker of the capital’s parliament Alexey Shaposhnikov (United Russia) prepared amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses of Russia, providing for penalties of up to 30 thousand rubles. for citizens on SIM who violate traffic rules. Tightening measures for them were previously announced by the Russian government, but the Moscow City Duma insists that the work needs to be accelerated. Deputies want the rules to change by the start of the kick-sharing season – before April 1.

The bill of the Moscow City Duma Speaker Alexei Shaposhnikov is posted in the document database of the capital’s parliament. The initiative extends to SIM users a number of sanctions that are already applied to pedestrians and drivers. It is proposed, in particular, to include a fine in the amount of 30 thousand rubles in the Administrative Code. for the use of alcohol or drugs by SIM drivers after an accident; 1–1.5 thousand rubles. – for leaving the scene of an accident; 1–1.5 thousand rubles. — for violating traffic rules while drunk; 1 thousand rub. – for obstructing pedestrian traffic. Mr. Shaposhnikov also proposes to make “corresponding” amendments to the traffic rules, the explanatory note says.

The speaker of the Moscow City Duma refers to the increase in accidents involving SIM in recent years. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, in the nine months of 2023, 2.64 thousand such accidents were recorded throughout the country (an increase of +215.9% compared to the same period last year), in which 31 people died (+63%), including three minors . 2.72 thousand people were injured (+213%). The most accidents involving SIM were recorded in Moscow (665), Tyumen region (184), St. Petersburg (172), and Krasnoyarsk Territory (163). Mr. Shaposhnikov cites statistics from last year’s season in Moscow: from March 1 to September 30, 2023, the increase in accidents with SIM was 313%, two people died, 700 were injured. Tightening liability, according to Alexey Shaposhnikov, will encourage SIM drivers to comply with traffic rules and will lead to a decrease accident rate. Mr. Shaposhnikov expects that the amendments to the traffic rules (their draft has not yet been submitted) will come into force by the beginning of the rental season, that is, no later than April 1, and the amendments to the Administrative Code – from September 1.

The authorities have been discussing measures to reduce the accident rate with SIMs for several years against the backdrop of an increase in the fleet of kick-sharing scooters (from 30 thousand to 300 thousand units in 2020–2023, according to the Micromobility Association). Thus, in October 2023, the Russian government approved a separate “road map” on this issue. It involves, among other things, introducing amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses and Traffic Regulations, mandatory registration of SIM in a digital register (similar to registering cars with the traffic police) and other measures. As a basis for the amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses, officials planned to take the already prepared bill of Senator Artem Sheikin (among other things, it envisages a fine of 30 thousand rubles for drunk driving on a SIM, 3 thousand rubles for riding an electric scooter together). But these amendments have not yet been received by the State Duma, although according to the original plan they were supposed to be adopted by December 29, 2023. The Moscow City Duma, apparently, is trying to speed up the process of changing legislation: Aleksey Shaposhnikov said back in November that a number of issues related to the regulation of SIM should be worked out “as a priority.” Kommersant was unable to contact him or his representatives yesterday. The submitted amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses must now be approved by a resolution of the Moscow City Duma (it is possible that this will happen this week), then the bill will be sent for conclusion to the government of the Russian Federation, and then submitted to the State Duma.

The Whoosh company supported the bill. “The initiative is the next step to improve the regulatory framework regarding SIM,” the press service told Kommersant. “This is very important, given the rapidly growing role of kick-sharing and private scooters in the life of cities. I am glad that recently such initiatives have come from representatives of all levels of government – both federal and regional.”

Director of the Association of Micromobility Operators Ksenia Erdman, supporting the amendments, noted that it will be necessary to resolve the issue with the mechanism for recording new violations. Let us recall that in 2023 the city authorities announced the development of systems for detecting violators on SIM cards using cameras. However, kicksharing is also developed in other cities, Ms. Erdman noted, so something will need to be invented there too. The expert adds that most SIM users today do not know the traffic rules and this problem will also need to be solved.

Legislators should pay special attention to the numerous couriers who use electric bicycles, sometimes home-made, to move around Moscow, notes the coordinator of the Blue Buckets movement, a member of the public council of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for Moscow, Pyotr Shkumatov. They, according to the expert, pose a serious danger to citizens, as they often move in the dark without identification marks, both on sidewalks and along the roadway.

The Russian Ministry of Transport, the Moscow Department of Transport and Yandex have not yet commented on the Moscow City Duma’s initiative.

Ivan Buranov