Mr. Brit Moller:

I am speaking to the committee on behalf of Spin, a globally recognised shared e-scooter and e-bike company based in San Francisco, California.

Our mission is to create a world of 15-minute cities and to meaningfully reduce urban congestion, pollution and the long-standing dependence on cars.

Today, I have been asked to share a few comments in respect of the Road Traffic and Roads Bill 2021 which provides for the provision of e-scooters in Ireland. To cut straight to the point, we very much welcome the Government approval of the Road Traffic and Roads Bill 2021 and commend this committee on the recent legislative actions taken regarding the definition of personal powered transporters, PPTs. As I understand it, the proposed definition of PPTs has been recently amended so that the weight, speed, and power output of e-scooters can be varied through future regulations. We believe this nimble and forward-looking approach is particularly sensible in the context of innovation in the micromobility sector. E-scooters are a young and rapidly evolving form-factor, where vehicle design changes are continuously taking place to improve public safety, sustainability and reliability.

Consistent with previous discussions I have had with members of this committee, Spin strongly supports the efforts to legalise e-scooters in a manner that prioritises safety and a level playing field from a market point of view. To that end, we strongly urge the Minister and the Department of Transport to move forward with developing regulations for e-scooters that are squarely in line with safe and tested international precedents. When it comes to minimum design standards, such as vehicle weight and power output, there are clear evidenced-based standards from other countries to draw upon. We recommend that the Department look to countries such as the UK, Germany and the US to put in place e-scooter vehicle standards that have already been proven to be effective and to lead to widespread public use.

To share one lesson learned from the last five years of the continuous development of micromobility, through our close partnerships with cities and community stakeholders, we have seen first-hand that public engagement and rider education are the most important factors for making e-scooters a safe and reliable mode of transport. In other words, it is not the device technology per se, but rather the performance of shared e-scooter operators that makes the biggest difference.

While Spin supports the legalisation of private e-scooters, it is important to keep in mind that shared e-scooter operators provide the additional benefits of ongoing rider education and access to best-in-class vehicles. Every time a rider wants to ride a Spin scooter, for example, they are presented with locally-specific educational content to ensure that riders know the rules of the road and understand expectations regarding parking and riding behaviour. With this in mind, we urge local authorities to carefully consider not only the onboard scooter technology, but also the well-documented performance histories of operators in the future development of shared rental schemes.

Once again, we appreciate this invitation to offer our experience and our recommendations for maximising the public value and potential of e-scooters in Ireland as a safe personal mobility option. The Road Traffic and Roads Bill 2021 represents an exciting opportunity to advance sustainable mobility options and to deliver a range of benefits, both individual and societal. We strongly support this legislation and are always happy to offer additional input and guidance as this legislative process moves forward.