E-scooter operators want new transport minister to lift ban

Two e-scooter companies want new Transport Minister Chris Bonett to scrap plans to ban the vehicles for rent as of March.

Bolt and operators of its main competitor, Bird, say they want to collaborate with Bonett and find solutions to problems raised, noting they have done that with various governments in other countries.

The two companies have previously said that Bonett’s predecessor, Aaron Farrugia, was ignoring their requests to meet.

Last October, Farrugia announced that rental e-scooters would be banned from March 1 because of the “disturbances” endured by the community and the high number of illegalities committed by users. Privately owned e-scooters will not be affected by the decision.

Farrugia later said that the government was irked by operators’ decision to appeal every single fine issued to their users, rather than introduce systems to encourage more responsible use of e-scooters.

Farrugia was the main casualty of a cabinet reshuffle held last weekend, losing his portfolio to Bonett and ending up on the Labour backbench.

Bolt was quick to respond to the ministerial change by offering an olive leaf to the Maltese government.

“We are willing to work together with the newly appointed minister to solve the current traffic problems in Malta by offering Maltese people and visitors a different mix of alternative mobility solutions that can be complemented with public transport. We strongly hope that the foreseen ban of shared scooters can now be reassessed with the new minister,” a Bolt spokesperson said when contacted.

We are convinced that it is possible to reach a constructive agreement with the government

She added that the company was looking at signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Maltese authorities, similar to initiatives undertaken elsewhere in Europe.

“We are convinced that it is possible to reach a constructive agreement with the government to lift the previously announced ban and guarantee safe shared scooter operations in Malta for the benefit of all,” she said.

Roberto Pestana, director of Seven Group Malta Ltd, operators of Bird e-scooters, said when contacted: “We have been trying to find solutions since 2021 but none of our proposals were heard and much less implemented. E-scooters are the only method of transport in Malta that is 100% green, electric, non-polluting and do not increase or get stuck in traffic.”

He pleaded with the new transport minister to meet him so he could show him how e-scooters were “a solution for Malta”.

“There is a way for this method of transport to work in Malta as it works in all Europe and the world,” he said.

Bonett, who was sworn in as a minister yesterday, has said that he needs some time to take stock of the situation and that it is too soon to say whether he will be changing any of his predecessor’s decisions.

“I’ve been a minister for five minutes,” Bonett told Times of Malta.

“I will be speaking to the broadest possible number of people to take immediate action on certain issues but will also look at longer-term solutions to alleviate transport problems.”