Are e-scooters the new Segways? Prague 1 moves forward with proposed ban

Prague 1’s municipal council has approved a proposal to ban shared electric scooters from designated parts of the city center, escalating a long-running dispute over how to manage the controversial vehicles. The move, which must still be approved by Prague City Council, would prevent scooters from being used or parked in restricted areas.

Supporters of the ban argue that shared scooters create safety risks and disrupt the public space, particularly through improper parking and riding on sidewalks. However, city leadership has proposed a separate approach that regulates operators through enforceable contracts, and has dismissed Prague 1’s proposal as ineffective.

The Prague 1 council approved its proposal earlier this week, calling for a citywide ordinance that would establish no-go zones for shared scooters. In these areas, riders would not be able to start or end a trip, either physically or through the app-based systems used by providers like Lime or Bolt.

“In practice, it would be impossible to begin or end a ride in these zones,” district spokesperson Karolína Šnejdarová says through a press release. “Strict enforcement will be required to ensure compliance.”

The zones would be marked with traffic signs and enforced by both municipal and state police. The solution recalls the ban of Segway vehicles throughout Prague in 2016, which saw hundreds of street signs placed around the city.

The earlier legal efforts to ban Segways required a change in national legislation. Prague 1 now hopes a similar legal framework can be applied to e-scooters.

“Every day we deal with irresponsible parking, threats to pedestrian safety, and illegal sidewalk riding,” says Vojtěch Ryvola, Prague 1 deputy mayor for transport, who was tasked with presenting the proposal to the Prague City Council. “The situation is unsustainable. It’s time to say enough.”

City leadership, however, has pushed back against Prague 1’s strategy. Deputy Mayor Zdeněk Hřib argued that the proposal does not address the root of the problem and said the city is already finalizing its own plan.

“The proposal from Prague 1 is confusing and won’t work in practice,” Hřib told Czech News Agency. "We are solving the problem with scooters and we are clear, we will present a specific plan next week."

According to Hřib, the city is preparing a regulatory framework based on contracts with scooter providers. These agreements would allow the city to charge for public space usage and impose penalties for non-compliance.

Draft terms of the regulation, which have been sent to Prague’s districts for feedback, stop short of enabling districts to impose complete bans. Prague 1 has rejected the plan on those grounds, insisting that local governments should have the authority to fully prohibit shared scooters where needed.

Shared e-scooters have faced growing backlash in Prague and other cities across Europe in recent years. Complaints center on scooters being left haphazardly on sidewalks, posing hazards to pedestrians, and being ridden in areas where motorized transport is not permitted.

Despite the convenience they offer for short trips, the devices have come to symbolize broader concerns over how shared mobility platforms interact with public space. Should Prague 1 follow through with the proposed ban, it will join Paris, which became the first EU city to ban rented electric scooters in 2023.