The Rome Capital Council has approved a resolution with guidelines for the authorization of scooter and ebike sharing rental services.

Under the new notice, starting January 1, 2023, operators will decrease from the current 7 to 3; with vehicles from the current 14,500 becoming a maximum of 9,000, of which 3,000 will be in central areas and the remainder equally divided among the other municipalities. Ebikes will decrease from 12,500 to 9 thousand.

Specifically for scooters, it is stipulated that it will be up to the municipality to identify the new no-parking areas and where to make the stalls. A minimum distance of 70 meters will also be introduced between the stocks of vehicles of the same operator, who will be able to place no more than 5 units. To close the rental, a photograph of the vehicle in the stall will be required  and sent to the rental company.

In addition to these provisions are: provision of metal license plates on the vehicles; maximum speed of 20km/h, which becomes 6km in pedestrian areas; rentals for adults only; and mandatory registration with ID card. Monitoring of vehicles will have to be carried out hourly. In case of violations, the rental companies risk suspension to revocation of their licenses.

Among the requirements for winning the tender is that the service be operational with respect to metro lines and stations. Finally, the maintenance system; control and redistribution of the fleet; customer contact system; environmental sustainability; the possibility of offering season tickets; concessions for public transport users; and discounts for systematic travel will also be evaluated for the rental award.

"We found a situation without rules and without planning," explained Mayor Roberto Gualtieri, "and we have moved to put things in order concretely, in an open discussion with the operators that will immediately push for tangible results. Today," he continued, "we are giving the green light to a rationalization of the presence of scooters in the city, reducing them in number and guaranteeing clear rules that favor the service throughout the city and limit abuse, in use, speed and parking possibilities. This is another step in the Commitment to the Capitol's beautification of Rome, especially where mobility goes hand in hand with investments in the renewal of the bus fleet, new tramways, maintenance of subway rails and convoys and disincentives to the use of private cars."

"With this new regulation," added Councillor for Mobility Eugenio Patané, "we are going to remedy several critical issues in an area that is very much felt by citizens, both from the point of view of safety and from that relating to urban beautification. At the same time, the new regulations allow us to give these vehicles a real transportation function to the very last mile as envisaged by the philosophy of so-called sharing mobility, extending the service in a capillary manner over all municipalities.”