The General Council of the Capital approved new rules for rental scooters, with a minimum age of 18 and fines of up to 10,000 lei

The General Council of the Municipality of Bucharest has approved, with 44 votes in favor and three abstentions, new regulations for electric scooter rental services operated through apps. The rules set a minimum age of 18, traffic restrictions and stricter parking requirements. The regulations will enter into force 60 days after approval and do not apply to privately owned scooters.

People aged at least 16 will be able to rent scooters only if they hold a license for categories AM, A1 or B1. Operators will have to verify users’ ages and equip the vehicles with GPS, lights, reflective devices, an audible warning device and functioning brakes.

Traveling on sidewalks will be prohibited, except on designated lanes, as well as on park paths, in public gardens and in exclusively pedestrian areas. Where there is a bicycle lane, its use will be mandatory. In its absence, scooters may travel only on roads with a speed limit of no more than 50 km/h. Using a phone or headphones, carrying a second person and overtaking moving vehicles will be prohibited.

Parking will not be permitted at stations, on pedestrian crossings, at intersections, on green spaces or in spaces designated for cars. On sidewalks at least two meters wide, a 1.5-meter passage for pedestrians must be maintained. Operators will have a maximum of 120 minutes to relocate improperly parked scooters and may face fines of up to 10,000 lei.