Simon Hunter
A TOTAL ban on taking electric scooters onto any kind of public transport in Catalunya will come into force on February 1.
The prohibition comes after one of the personal mobility vehicles caught fire on a train in the northeastern Spanish regional in November. Five people were left with mild injuries, according to Spanish daily El Pais.
The ban will be applied to trains, the metro, local and long-distance buses and trams. The prohibition will stay in force for six months while the situation is studied by experts and definitive regulations are decided upon.
The decision has been taken by the ATM metropolitan transport authority, which cites the chance of the scooters catching fire, the difficulty in extinguishing such a blaze and the highly toxic nature of the smoke emitted.
Citizens will still be able to transport their electric scooters by taxi, however.
Anyone caught breaking the new rules from Wednesday will be subject to a €200 fine.
Read more:
- Two children on electric scooter knock over policeman on Spain’s Mar Menor
- Dashcam footage captures electric scooter madness in Spain
- Marbella council plans to regulate use of electric scooters from October
