The number of shared scooters in Tilburg is almost halved. Now there are about 400 in the city, from 1 September there are still 250 divided between two providers. This means that GO Sharing, currently the only provider, will have to remove about 275 electric scooters. Last year there were more than a thousand nuisance reports about electric shared scooters, which is why the municipality is taking action.
The electric shared scooters from GO Sharing, Felyx, Check and Tier, among others, have become a familiar concept in the cities of Brabant since 2020. The principle is simple: With an app on your phone you register yourself with the service and with the same app you unlock the nearest scooter after which you can drive it from A to B. You then pay for the distance driven.
1000 complaints
The electric shared scooters are put to good use, because last year there were half a million rides in Tilburg. At the same time, more than a thousand nuisance complaints about the two-wheelers of the sole provider GO Sharing were received by the municipality.
The popularity of the service causes the scooters to be left everywhere. On driveways, the sidewalk, but also vandalism often occurs. Electric shared scooters that are set on fire, end up in a ditch or even put in shopping carts are no exception. There is even a very Instagram account dedicated to.
Three providers
The municipality of Tilburg is now intervening and coming up with a strict policy. From September 1, there will be room for three providers, but fewer scooters. GO Sharing is only allowed to offer 125 electric shared scooters and 125 electric shared bicycles. There are currently between 350 and 400 GO Sharing scooters in and around Tilburg.
Newcomers in Tilburg are Felyx with 125 dark green electric shared scooters and Ride Dott, which makes 125 bicycles available in Tilburg. All three companies are allowed to grow by 50 two-wheelers every six months, but only if the nuisance does not increase. The requirements in the permit are clear:
- Incorrectly parked or broken scooters must be repaired or collected within 24 hours.
- All scooters and bicycles must be damage free and safe.
- The companies are responsible for proper parking.
- It must be impossible to park incorrectly via software.
Report nuisance
Newcomer Felyx says it can meet all the conditions. “In several cities we solve problems with incorrectly parked scooters well within 24 hours.”
The municipality of Tilburg actively enforces illegal parking in the city center. “We do the rest of the city based on reports.” The fine is 70 or 100 euros for a scooter that has been parked incorrectly, depending on the location and the danger. Felyx says it will forward those fines to the user.
No policy yet
Electric shared scooters are fairly new. Until recently, Tilburg and many other cities lacked clear rules. For example, Breda and Den Bosch are still developing new policies. Eindhoven has had strict rules for permits for some time now.
“We just want to continue to offer this service, because Tilburg deserves clean shared mobility,” explains a spokesperson for the municipality. He emphasizes that shared scooters and bicycles help to make the city more sustainable. “At the same time, nuisance must be reduced and that requires rules.”
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