The city authorities of Stockholm are working on a way to deal with shared electric push scooters, Di Digital reports. Hundreds of vehicles have been deployed on the city's streets over the past couple of months by the local startup Voi Technology, which recently picked up more than €2 million in funding from Vostok New Ventures and other investors.
Following the same idea as its US-based counterparts like Bird and Lime, Voi offers customers to rent its scooters via an app, ride as much as needed, and leave them behind afterwards. That last part appears to be the reason why some citizens of the Swedish capital are unhappy with the service. The authorities have received about 10 complaints regarding the vehicles being left on the sidewalks in the way of pedestrians, Johan Sundman from the Traffic Office of Stockholm told Di Digital.
As a result, the city authorities are now working to find a way to deal with the scooters. There's a big chance that the ultimate resolution will be to ban them altogether. According to Di Digital's sources, the city has already issued a recommendation to do just that. A few US cities, like San Francisco and Santa Monica, have banned shared electric scooters over the past few months; they're also effectively illegal in the UK: the current law requires any vehicle powered by an electric motor to be registered and licensed.
Not everyone in Stockholm is happy with the prospect of electric scooters disappearing from the streets. An enthusiast has even started a petition against the ban, which was signed by 19 people at the time of writing.
Responding to the criticism, Voi Technology has issued a statement saying that it will comply with the current and future regulations regarding the service, including, if necessary, paying additional taxes or fees. The startup will meet the city authorities next week to discuss the next steps.
Back in September, it was revealed that the US-founded electric scooter pioneer Lime is also planning to launch in the Swedish capital. Now it looks like the company might want to adjust its plans depending on what happens to its local competitor.
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