The Integrated Transport Centre (ITC) permits the rental activity of e-scooters in Abu Dhabi in aim to diversify the transport modes available and offer innovative solutions for sustainable mobility.
All e-scooter rental companies can now offer their services after obtaining the required permit and NOC from ITC and other concerned entities. E-scooters can be used within the designated paths for pedestrians and cyclists. The pilot first phase of the project that will last for 6-12 months will be implemented in Corniche and Khalifa Street in Abu Dhabi.
The service will be operating according to first mile and last mile basis. To facilitate people’s commutes, the public can use this service to transport to their final destination with nominal cost. E-scooters are considered an efficient environmental friendly means of transport for daily commutes and will link different public bus stations to main destinations like shopping malls, facilities and residential areas.
The implementation of this service follows ITC’s endeavor to reduce the traffic congestion and maintain a safe environment that will boost the quality of life in the Emirate. This can be achieved by offering variety of alternative modes of transport.
To use the service, rental companies will offer smart applications that enable the users to rent the e-scooter after quick registration. Each e-scooter will have a QR code to be scanned. In order to ensure the safety of the public, the speed of the e-scooter will be 15-20 KM/hour.
Interested rental companies are advised to comply with the regulations of operating e-scooters that are enforced by ITC. The regulations aim to maintain the safety of the public by limiting the use of e-scooters in designated areas only, away from streets. In addition, e-scooters shall not block the traffic flow, endanger pedestrians and should be parked in designated parking spaces.
During the pilot phase, ITC will study the public demand for the service and monitor the success of it in order to update the policies and procedures related to it to expand the implementation of the service.
It is worth to mention that the use of e-scooters has increased lately around the world and they have contributed significantly in reducing traffic congestion and pollution and decrease energy consumption.