How E-Scooters Conquered (Most of) Europe
Seven years after their arrival, the tiny rentable vehicles are fixtures of many European cities. Here’s what regulators and residents have learned about living with them.
A line of Tier Mobility SE e-scooters on a street in central Madrid in 2024. The city has joined Paris in banning the vehicles from its streets.
Photographer: Paul Hanna/BloombergNorth Americans on summer jaunts to Europe will find cities offering tantalizing restaurants, stunning architecture and — more than likely — sidewalks jammed with fleets of shared electric scooters, awaiting their next rider.
First appearing in 2018, rentable e-scooters from companies like Voi, Tier and Lime have become mainstays from Athens to Reykjavik, Iceland. The tiny devices have found a niche, particularly in places where many trips are short, tourists are abundant, and car use is cumbersome and expensive. Compared to an automobile, e-scooters offer a quick, green and space-efficient way to traverse many urban neighborhoods.