Electric Scooters arrive in Oslo

Suddenly it seems like electric kick scooters for rent are everywhere in Oslo. They arrived with spring in the beginning of April and took the city by surprise.

“VOI” and “tier” are the two rental companies that provide the city with scooters. Electric kick scooters are like a regular scooter, but with an engine that can go up 20 kilometers an hour (12mph). It has a speed and a brake on the handle, and a brake at the rear wheel. So far, electric scooters in Norway are only available in Oslo, but they are expected to come to several major cities in the coming year.

A scooter blocking the footpath
A scooter blocking the footpath

To rent an electric kick scooter you download an app where you unlock the scooter by registering the qr-code on the handle and pay for how long you use it. You can leave the scooter wherever you want when you finish your ride, as long as the scooter is left in an area that is approved in the app. There are no restrictions from the City of Oslo on where you can leave it, so it’s up to each user to leave the scooter in a way that will not cause any accidents or block the sidewalk.

The Norwegian Association of the Blind and Partially Sighted (NABPS) notes that these electric kick scooters can create problems for pedestrians. The Association has been critical of the scooters and has confirmed that several blind and partially sighted people have been hit by the electric kick scooters. As scooters are often parked in the middle of the sidewalk, they hinder the visually impaired, and others have tripped over them left blocking the sidewalk. 

“We have received reports that several people have been hit, and it is perceived as very unsafe”, the head of the NABPS, Unn Ljøner Hagen, told TV 2.

Unn Ljøner Hagen
Unn Ljøner Hagen

The NABPS is positive about the new transport in the capital, but wants it to be regulated in favor of pedestrians.

It is not only a danger to the visually impaired, but also to young children, hearing impaired and others with a disability, for whom these scooters can cause dangerous situations. The NABPS does not want to ban the electric kick scooters, but wants restrictions so the city will be safe space for everyone.

“There are no reports of severe injuries yet, but there is no reason to wait for someone to get injured. Bruises are the worst we have ever heard of. We have received feedback from people who have stumbled on bikes on the sidewalk”, says Sverre Fuglerud, section leader in the NABPS to the Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet.

Sverre Fuglerud
Sverre Fuglerud

Sverre Fuglerud has met with the rental company VOI, which is one of the rental companies of electric scooters in Oslo. The NABPS presented, during the meeting, several demands for what is needed for the blind and visually impaired to be able to travel safely.

  • Communication with users: That it is more clearly stated to users that they must show great care when driving on the pavement and that no greater speed is used than walking speed.
  • Parking: That they park the bikes in a walking area where there is 2.5 meters of free width. In addition, they require that there are specific areas where one can park and not park.
  • Information: Information must also be available in Norwegian (not just English).
  • Bicycle Identification: It must be easier than today to identify the bikes.

“This is very fresh. When we already get feedback on problems this will only increase. The examples we have seen with collisions have all been from behind on sidewalks and something everyone can be exposed to. The bikes accelerate very fast so it can easily occur accidentally. We do not want to refuse kick bikes, but we want to ensure that it becomes a safe means of arrival”, says Fuglerud

The electric scooter case created great dedication and broad press coverage in newspapers, radio and TV before Easter. It even got attention from the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, where the head of the NABPS was quoted.