Specialist retailer Pure Electric expects private ownership of its e-scooters to increase by 200% following Paris’s decision not to renew rental e-scooters.
On Sunday 02 April, Parisians voted to remove Lime, Dott and Tier – the three authorised operator’s rental e-scooters from the French capital in a low turnout referendum.
“Paris is the biggest and most important market for private e-scooters,” Adam Norris, Pure Electric’s CEO and Founder told Zag Daily. “We have done our own maths and now expect sales of our e-scooters to increase by 200%.”
Norris believes that for regular commuters in Paris, private e-scooters are a convenient and cheaper alternative.
“Our foldable Flex e-scooter is all about storing it under your desk rather than leaving it out on the streets.”
The retailer’s push does link with the French Transport Ministry’s new national plan to regulate the use of e-scooters, which was unveiled days before the public vote.
Referendum results
Of the 1,382,322 people registered on the Parisian electoral lists, 103,084 voters took part in the ballot.
There were 11,256 people (10.97%) who voted ‘For self-service scooters’ and 91,385 people (89.03%) who voted ‘Against self-service scooters’. The number of blank or invalid ballots was 443 and the participation rate was 7.46%.
Tier, Lime and Dott pointed out that voting conditions were not optimal, as online voting was excluded and people living in the greater Paris area were not allowed to participate.
“We acknowledge the result of this unprecedented referendum, which was heavily impacted by very restrictive voting methods,” said the operators in a joint statement.
“This led to an extremely low turnout, heavily skewed towards older age groups, which has widened the gap between pros and cons.
“The result of this vote will have a direct impact on the travel of 400,000 people per month, 71% of whom are 18-35 year old residents. It is a step back for sustainable transport in Paris ahead of the 2024 Olympics.”
The service is now due to end on 01 September when the operator’s permits expire.
Scott Shepard, Head of Policy and Government Affairs at Drover AI, told Zag: “The Paris e-scooter referendum is not a European-centric trend nor global trend, and is in fact not even in lockstep with other French municipalities or the national government who recently issued outcomes-based e-scooter regulations.
“I’d also like to say that this is not a ban on shared e-scooters in Paris, but instead a non-renewal of the operational permit which most cities also have the discretion to exercise.
“Drover AI collaborates with over 30+ European municipalities, and the overarching trends we see are 1.) smarter regulations, 2.) multi year tenders and permits, 3.) shared infrastructure and 4.) increased consumer demand. Therefore, a majority of cities will seek better regulation, not prohibition of e-scooters in the year ahead.”
