E-scooters to be banned on public transport in Ireland next week

It will apply to all NTA services.

The National Transport Authority announced in late August that the ban would be coming into place from early October.

The ban applies to e-scooters but not e-bikes or mobility scooters and applies Dublin Bus, Bus Éireann, Go-Ahead Ireland, Iarnród Éireann, Luas and TFI Local Link.

E-scooters to be banned on public transport in Ireland next week

E-scooters were unregulated in Ireland until earlier this year, and the NTA note that quality control and battery testing are not as mature, leading to a higher risk compared to e-bikes and mobility scooters.

The man safety concerns relates to the vehicle's lithium-ion batteries which are known to develop internal faults, leading to overheating and combustion.

This has resulted in recent fires and thick black smoke on board public transport in Madrid and Barcelona.

Similar bans on E-scooters are already in place in cities like Berlin, Barcelona, and the UK.

Irish Rail reminded customers this week of the upcoming ban, with a spokesperson saying: "Customers please be aware that the carriage of e-scooters on public transport will not be permitted from Monday 7th October in line with recent guidance issued by the National Transport Authority (NTA)."

Upon the announcement in August, Rail Users Ireland said: "We welcome this decision, we engaged with the Commission for Railway Regulation in 2022 to seek a ban owing to fire risks as well as trip hazard."

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