© dpa
The Berlin Senate Administration wants to reduce the number of e-scooters on the streets of Berlin.
From January 2024 to March 2025, only a maximum of 19,000 e-scooters will be allowed to be offered within the S-Bahn ring, the transport senate administration announced on Thursday. The state government currently assumes that there will be around 25,000 vehicles in the city centre.
"The e-scooters will be distributed evenly among the sharing companies," the statement continued. "A further reduction is reserved if there is no noticeable improvement in order on pavements by summer 2024."
Transport Senator Manja Schreiner (CDU) also wants to oblige providers to share their mobility data with the authorities via a digital interface. "This will provide information about general user behaviour and how providers deal with the distribution of vehicles throughout the city," she said. There are to be further parking ban zones.
The previous state government had already tried to tighten the conditions for e-scooter providers in Berlin. Since September last year, sharing companies in Berlin have had to apply for a so-called special use permit. This means that companies have to pay a fee per scooter within the ring. According to the Senate Administration, the special use permits expire at the end of this year.