Prague 1 has officially called for a complete ban on shared electric scooters in parts of the city center, citing growing safety concerns and ongoing misuse of public spaces.

The district council made the request this week, urging the capital to issue a decree that would allow individual districts to define no-go zones for both riding and parking of e-scooters.

The proposed ban would be enforced through a combination of physical signage and geofencing technology, and Prague 1 is demanding joint enforcement by municipal and state police.

“We deal with chaotic scooter parking and illegal riding on sidewalks every single day,” said Vojtěch Ryvola, Prague 1’s transport councilor. “This poses a direct threat to pedestrians. The situation has become unbearable. We are ready to defend public space and the safety of our residents.”

Ryvola compared the e-scooter issue to the city’s 2016 Segway ban, which required a national law change and cost around CZK 4 million to implement, including the installation of more than 600 signs. In his view, scooters represent a similarly disruptive force in Prague’s historic core.

Under current Czech legislation, electric scooters are classified as bicycles, meaning they’re prohibited from sidewalks but allowed on roads. However, Ryvola and other Prague 1 representatives argue that this legal classification is inadequate and that the proposed ban should extend to roadways as well.

Not all city leaders are on board. Deputy Mayor for Transport Zdeněk Hřib criticized the Prague 1 plan as a short-sighted and confusing fix. “This does not address the root of the problem,” Hřib said. He pointed to an alternative solution proposed by the city’s Technical Road Administration (TSK), which involves contractual agreements with scooter operators.

TSK’s plan would regulate where and how shared scooters and bikes can be used, introduce penalties for violations, and charge usage fees for public space occupation. But Prague 1 has rejected this model, arguing it does not give districts enough autonomy to impose a full ban.

Public frustration with shared scooters has been mounting, particularly in central neighborhoods. Complaints include reckless riding, obstructive parking, and lack of revenue from the use of municipal space.

Šnejdarová noted that Prague 1 has been demanding action since early 2023. “Despite repeated appeals, the city has yet to offer a concrete solution,” she said.

Should negotiations with the city collapse, Ryvola said the district may consider holding a local referendum to decide whether to ban e-scooters outright across all of Prague 1.

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Prague Mayor Zdeněk Hřib (Pirates) is under police protection. The exact reason for this measure was not given by the municipality.

The Mayor’s spokesperson Martina Vacková informed the Czech media this afternoon. In the second half of March, police detained a man who threatened Hřib because of anti-coronavirus measures.

“The reasons and specific protection methods cannot be commented, following the decision of the police. For security reasons, the Mayor is currently unable to use public transport,” said Vacková.

Hřib recently filed a criminal complaint against an unknown offender. “Someone was following and watching outside his house,” added Vacková. It is not clear whether the current police protection and the case are related.

Hřib is married and has three children.

On March 19, Prague police detained a man who had threatened the Mayor over the phone due to the measures in place to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The man was charged with extortion.

Zdeněk Hřib is a member of the Czech Pirate party and was inaugurated as mayor of Prague in November 2018.

Born in a family of architects on 21 May 1981, he decides to go for a medical career, and after completing his studies at the Medical Faculty in Prague, devotes himself to scientific research on the quality and efficiency of public services.

He is the author of a number of articles in both domestic and foreign media.

He is a member of several working groups on IT and quality of service at ministerial level, the World Health Organization, and the European Union. He is also a Director of the Society of Applied Research, Education, and Management in Health and occasionally lectures students inside and outside the faculty.

Airbnb is working with hosts from across the Czech Republic to provide first responders, doctors and emergency responders in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, with secure accommodation while they carry out their vital work.

Through this global initiative, hosts have already offered up nearly 200,000 places to stay in over 160 countries and regions. Frontline staff can book eligible and available stays in their area.

Airbnb will waive all fees on the first 100,000 stays booked through this program.

“In tough times like these, it is our priority to stand with the Airbnb community to do what we can to help so that frontline medical staff can carry out their vital work in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic as well and as safely as possible. Hosts on Airbnb are ensuring that frontline workers can find free, affordable and convenient places to stay. We would like to thank all frontline workers throughout the Czech Republic and the many hosts who are already offering them a place to stay,” said Kathrin Anselm, General Manager DACH, CEE & RUS at Airbnb.

In the UK, Airbnb is working closely with hosts to provide National Health Service (NHS) staff and other frontline workers combating the COVID-19 pandemic with accommodation close to newly built emergency hospitals.

In Italy, Airbnb is helping hosts to provide free accommodation for emergency responders who need to move to one of the crisis centres in northern Italy. This way, hosts are helping to protect frontline workers and their families by accommodating them on-site to reduce the risk of infection of others.

In France, hosts have already accommodated 1,000 medical professionals for free in the last two weeks. In partnership with the French government, hosts all over France have offered over 8,000 free places to stay throughout France since the launch of the program three weeks ago.

Frontline staff can request an accommodation under the program directly through the Airbnb Frontline stays platform where they can book eligible and available stays.

Frontline staff can select accommodation based on their needs, e.g. in terms of location.  Once a responder has booked, Airbnb will review the professional information to confirm the booking.

To participate, hosts can offer entire homes free of charge or at a reasonable price.

The respective listings will be available exclusively for use by medical staff within the framework of the program.

 

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