Escooters to be banned from public transport in Ireland due to fire risk; scooters pose greater risk than ebikes says NTA

Electric scooters — whether folded or not — are to be banned on all public transport operated under a contract with the National Transport Authority, including Dublin Bus, Bus Éireann, Go-Ahead Ireland, Irish Rail, and Luas.

A statement from the National Transport Authority (NTA) said the restriction will take effect in early October and apply to e-scooters, but not e-bikes or mobility scooters. The authority said that it follows similar moves in Berlin, Barcelona, and the UK.

An NTA review, the results of which were published on their website, outlines that in many jurisdictions, e-scooters are differentiated from other electric mobility devices, such as e-bikes, because of the different levels of risk. It said: “This is because there is a growing level of evidence that there is a greater risk of fire or explosion of components of e-scooters when compared to other PPTs. “

The extra risk from scooters, the NTA said, is mainly due to two factors — “That the position of the batteries at the bottom of the e-scooter platform makes them more prone to physical damage than in the case of e-bikes where the batteries are usually positioned in a less vulnerable location; and the quality control of e-scooter manufacturing does not appear to be as mature and developed as e-bikes.”

A statement issued this afternoon by the authority said: “The restriction will take effect in early October. It will apply to e-scooters but not e-bikes or mobility scooters. E-scooters are a relatively new product and were unregulated in Ireland until earlier this year. The quality control of their construction is therefore not as mature or well developed as e-bikes and mobility scooters, which have been regulated for longer. The tested batteries of e-bikes and mobility scooters do not pose the same level of risk.

The NTA statement added: “The guidance is prompted by safety concerns in relation to many lithium-ion batteries which are commonplace in such devices. These batteries are known to develop internal faults, leading to overheating and combustion. This has resulted in recent fires and thick black smoke on board public transport in Madrid and Barcelona.”

The NTA review also outlined that the ban is “subject to periodic review” by it and the transport operators.

The authority said: “It is recognised that new regulations made under the Road Traffic and Roads Act 2023 have been recently introduced, which sets out certain minimum technical standards in relation to PPTs including e-scooters. Accordingly, it is intended that the above guidance will be periodically reviewed by the NTA and the transport operators, to assess whether the introduction of the new regulations, or other developments in this area, has reduced the potential fire risk associated with these devices to the extent that would enable the introductions of e-scooters carriage on public transport.”