Electric scooters now banned on public transport in Andalucía, as from 1 January

Electric scooters are banned from being carried on public transport throughout the Andalucía region, with effect from yesterday (1 January) 2024.

The personal mobility vehicles will no longer be allowed on the region's public services such as metro networks, buses and ferry services under a new restriction similar to that already implemented in other parts of Spain and Europe.

The ban is temporary and will be maintained until the deemed safety risks diminish over time.

The Junta made the move to prioritise passenger safety after incidents of the batteries of electric scooters catching fire on public transport in recent months.

The decision following a recommendation from Spain's Directorate General of Traffic (DGT) regarding the safety certification of personal mobility vehicles. The DGT said from 21 January 2024 only certified electric scooters will be sold to guarantee the safety of riders. However, these safety rules will not apply to electric scooters in service before that date, which will have a moratorium to continue circulating without any regulation until 2027

Since 12 December, Renfe has banned electric scooters from all its passenger trains, a decision that has also been extended to the Cadiz Bay tramway (Trambahía), which belongs to the Junta, but operates in collaboration with Renfe.

Madrid, the city of Barcelona and Mallorca have also applied similar measures to all public transport, while Valencia has applied it to its rail services. In other countries, some rail operators in the UK and Ireland, and the London and Hamburg underground have also banned electric scooters from their trains.