Sliema pedestrians who spoke to Times of Malta on Friday broadly support the ban on rental e-scooters that has just come into effect.

Eight of the 12 people Times of Malta spoke to – on a promenade now free from rental e-scooters – expressed their support for the ban, citing parking issues and saying people were riding dangerously.

One person said it was a mistake to remove e-scooters, while two others didn’t seem to think the move was necessary. However, they were not strongly critical of the ban either.

Meanwhile, one tourist from the US said she was not sure what to think of the ban, adding that scooters were not an issue back home.

Monique Mangion said she was “glad they’re gone” and that “people should be able to walk freely” on the pavement without navigating around e-scooters.

"Had they used to be parked properly then fair enough, but clearly, that was abused. So, I'm glad they're gone”, she said.

Similarly, Charles Zammit said it was more pleasant walking on the promenade without e-scooters “blocking the pavement”, describing them as “too much, too many”.

People also raised concerns about the way the scooters were being used, with Danieal Lontos calling them “very dangerous”.

An e-scooter-free Sliema promenade. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

She said there seemed to be “no rules... about how to ride them,” claiming e-scooter riders often rode in the wrong direction of traffic before the ban.

Claudia Rodigari called the ban on rental e-scooters “pretty fair”, describing them as too fast and dangerous to children – a concern echoed by Wilma van Maarseveen.

German tourists Amra Redzic and Hanhi Hothi described e-scooter parking issues back home similar to those encountered in Malta and said they were “happy" not to find them here.

Meanwhile, Kirk Hitchcox was more direct in his response, calling e-scooters “a pain in the arse”.

Daniela Lontos said "people should start walking." Photo: Matthew Mirabelli.

Piers Hedley, however, said he would miss the devices, calling their ban a “great mistake.”

“I've found them incredibly useful... Anything that gets people out of their cars – using different forms of transportation - is in my book the right way to go,” he said, and rejected claims the e-scooters were unsafe, saying they were “never a problem”.

He acknowledged that “sometimes it was a problem that [customers] left them scattered everywhere. But then Malta is used to that - rubbish is everywhere anyway, let's face it.”

Occasional e-scooter users Lisa Marie Duff and Scott Massa said the devices had been “a nice option”.

They agreed the ban was unnecessary, with Massa saying, “the roads are bad enough anyway”. Asked if he would be taking the bus instead, he indicated he would not, as he is better off walking or running.

Meanwhile, US tourist Meghan Collier said although she had not been in Malta long enough to decide, e-scooters were a cheap and convenient mode of transport in her native Washington D.C.

Do they have issues with the devices being left all over the pavement in the US?

“Yeah, [but] there's a truck that goes around the city cleaning them up,” she said.

German tourists Amra Redzic and Hanhi Hothi said they were “happy" to not find e-scooters in Malta. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli.

The decision to ban e-scooters was first announced by the government in October, at which time around 5,000 were estimated to be active on Malta's streets.

Reacting at the time, scooter operator Bolt said the decision was a step backwards in reducing traffic congestion in Malta, stressing it had raised concerns about parking infrastructure to authorities in the past and proposed solutions.

Despite requesting to meet former Transport Minister Aaron Farrugia at the time of the announcement, alongside competitor operator Bird, a month later Bolt said it was still seeking a meeting with authorities.

"They need to talk to us. We have tried to contact the transport minister since the ban was announced, but we still haven’t received any answer,” the operator said in November.

The move was also met with dismay by the bicycle advocacy group Rota, which said the flaws in e-scooter use were due to a lack of political vision and an unwillingness to regulate the sector.

However, despite the ban, the Transport Ministry has said it continues to support private e-scooter use, telling Times of Malta earlier this week that the government “acknowledges the concerns regarding misuse that are associated with rented e-scooters do not reflect the use of those that are personally owned.”

A government grant of €150 towards the purchase of private electric scooters was due to open to applications on Friday.