1,578 e-scooter registered in Malta up until June

Transport Minister also confirmed that helmets will not be made mandatory when driving the e-scooter while no road infrastructure is planned to accommodate e-scooter drivers

(File photo)
(File photo)

Up until 21 June 2022, there were 1,578 s-scooter licensed in Malta, information tabled in parliament shows.

Transport Minister Aaron Farrugia said on Tuesday that as yet there are no plans to make further changes to the road infrastructure to specifically accommodate e-scooters. He was answering a parliamentary question put to him by PN MP Ivan Bartolo.

Farrugia said the law is clear in relation to how, where and at what speed e-scooters can be driven in order to safeguard the health and safety of both the driver and all those who are making use of the road or the place where the e-scooter is being driven.

Asked by Bartolo whether the use of a helmet will be made mandatory when driving the e-scooter, Minister Farrugia went on to add that there are no such plans.

However, he noted that Transport Malta has always suggested that a helmet be used, as in the case of driving bicycles, where a helmet is also not mandatory.

Last August, the Nationalist Party proposed that e-scooter users are required to obtain a dedicated driving licence, use a helmet, and are subject to a penalty point system.

In the same month, rental e-scooters started to get designated parking bays, and users started to be charged if the vehicles are not properly parked. The decision was part of a reform carried out by Transport Malta to ensure better regularisation and safety of e-scooters.

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