E-Scooters in Prague 1 to be Restricted to Designated Parking Spaces

Shared electric scooters in Prague 1 will soon be restricted to designated parking spaces, starting from September.

The decision comes as a response to the issues arising from customers leaving e-scooters in inappropriate locations, including sidewalks and other public areas.

The plan entails creating approximately 140 designated spots for scooter parking, with each location capable of accommodating up to 10 scooters. Additionally, a monthly fee for each scooter will be collected from the operators.

Prague City successfully negotiated this agreement with all four vehicle operators, namely Lime, Bolt, Nextbike, and Rekola.

As of now, e-scooters can be left anywhere within the operators’ designated zones, leading to disorderly parking practices.

The city hall has already constructed around 40 designated parking areas for scooters, and this number is expected to increase to 70 by the end of the holiday season.

Most of these spots will be strategically placed near pedestrian crossings, while an additional 70 locations, known as virtual spots, will not have any signage, ensuring that scooters won’t impede the flow of traffic.

During the peak season, the downtown area is populated with approximately 2,500 scooters, a number expected to decrease to 1,500 once the new regulations are adhered to.

Operators have also agreed to this reduction in numbers. In the future, the council plans to implement a monthly fee of CZK 25 per scooter or bike.

In addition to parking issues, there have been concerns regarding some users riding dangerously on pavements, posing risks to pedestrians. As part of the agreement with operators, all scooters will have a prominent sign on their handlebars stating that riding on pavements is prohibited.