Depriving people of one of the tailpipe emission-free alternatives to a private car may only push us backwards in the effort to make city mobility more sustainable.
This is why banning shared scooters is a step in the wrong direction and may turn back years of positive change in Maltese cities.
The government plans to rely on privately owned scooters as an alternative to both personal cars and shared scooters. However, private scooters are not as sustainable and safe as shared ones.
“[Scooters are] a good alternative to cars. Less polluting, occupying less space, easier to use and less dangerous than cars,” said a Maltese living in Sliema when asked about his opinion on the shared scooters ban by a Times of Malta journalist.
This sentence perfectly summarises the situation we may find ourselves in after the government unexpectedly announced the ban on shared scooters as of March 2024, and what will be missed in the cities.
The plan includes encouraging people to shift from shared to privately owned scooters. However, this will not solve the issue of the excessive number of cars in the cities and of emissions.
First of all, private scooters are way more expensive than renting one when you need it. If you want to purchase a good and reliable private scooter, this equals a one-time significant ranging from €300 to €1,000.
Secondly, as much as all e-scooters are tailpipe emission-free, which makes them very climate and environmentally friendly, producing a scooter comes with CO2 emissions. It is way more efficient to offer shared scooters, as each of them is used by several people every day, than to encourage people to buy a private vehicle. Private ones usually serve only one person, which makes the rider’s carbon footprint way higher.
Shared scooters may also efficiently support other sustainable shared mobility options. As revealed by Bolt, up to 40 per cent of our scooter rides were connected to public transport, serving as last- or first-mile solutions to seamlessly match the start point or final destination with bus, train and tram stops.
Another reason for opting for shared scooters is safety. Sharing scooters may look like simple vehicles on the outside, but in fact they are packed with numerous tech solutions and sensors that make riding way safer. These include the beginner mode, speed limits and safety features such as tandem riding prevention, which we are currently being tested with great results in Malta.
We are proud to say that we are the first operator in Malta to offer the tandem riding feature. We also have a precise GPS to apply no-go and low-speed zones and limit overall speed to 20 km/h.
Private scooters are not as sustainable and safe as shared ones- Andrea Vota
Additionally, shared scooter operators have their fleets under control on a regular basis. Our mechanics check them to ensure they are in good technical condition every day, something which is impossible for privately owned ones. Parking has been raised numerous times in the context of shared mobility. At Bolt, we strive to support and help our customers park correctly. We have the AI parking system to improve our scooter parking in mandatory zones in Malta.
To ensure our scooters are parked correctly, we also operate a Bolt Patrol that constantly reallocates misparked scooters. Additionally, we constantly educate our users on correct parking behaviour.
Apart from our own technologies, we also need support from local and national authorities to move on and achieve the next level.
We are conscious of the reduced available public space in Malta, that is why parking on sidewalks, as indicated in the national regulation, is not a perfect solution, especially considering how narrow they are.
What would make a really significant difference, apart from a change in the national regulation on where to park scooters, is a better scooter and bike parking infrastructure. At Bolt, we remain ready to work with Maltese authorities and support this crucial effort, which will bring very positive developments for Maltese cities. Most European cities, both large capitals and smaller towns with limited public space, have been setting up this type of infrastructure since 2018. Some Maltese municipalities have already followed this example and have gone in that direction. We are happy to offer our expertise and support cities in this process as needed.
There is now a real opportunity for shared-scooter operators to work with Maltese authorities to make scooter operations better and safer.
At Bolt, we have fully heard the government’s concerns, and we are dedicated to using our expertise, derived from operating micromobility in over 250 cities across Europe, and supporting both the government and the cities in shaping scooter operations to serve the Maltese in the best possible way.
Andrea Vota“I will buy one for myself,” said a scooter rider quoted by Times of Malta, when told that the shared scooters can be banned, but private ones will still be available.
However, more people riding their private scooters will not solve the problems the cities of Malta need to face. It can only add to some of them.
Andrea Vota is head of Public Policy Southern Europe at Bolt.