The government's decision to ban rental e-scooters was a "catastrophic lack of planning and regulation", the Science Students Society said on Thursday, which blamed the absence of designated infrastructure for the failure. 

In a statement endorsed by another 10 student organisations, the society referred to the government’s recent announcement that rental e-scooters will be banned from March and said that this means of transport had suffered from a "catastrophic lack of planning and regulation". 

There were no designated lanes and drop-off points were never introduced.

The society said that while it welcomed the news that the government had initiated a consultation process for the National Cycling Strategy, in the past two years Malta had lost bicycle-sharing company Nextbike and the electric car-sharing service GoTo.

Banning another environmentally friendly mode of transportation was counterproductive in the government’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“If this decision is not reversed, it will limit options for those who rely on public transport to travel from bus stops to their destinations, contributing to increased private car use."

Moreover, the service developed a negative reputation often due to dangerous driving, parking and lack of safety precautions.

Although the authorities had promised to set up several e-scooter parking areas, these never materialised.

Authorities, the students said, should prioritise upgrading road infrastructure to promote more sustainable transportation.