John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

In fact, 15 mph is approximately 20 km/h; 25 km/h is quite fast. As I said, it is not possible to govern the speed limit for privately-owned vehicles. Someone will import one from somewhere that can go up to 40 km/h.

Shared schemes also allow us to govern the standard and robustness of vehicles, in which I have seen an exponential improvement over the past three or four years. The standard of kit offered and the health and safety aspects have really improved. The vehicles are much better built and a great deal more comfortable and robust, with a much greater emphasis on safety, lighting, technology and all of that. I would like to see some facility that allows for the positioning of a light on the back that is elevated rather than being lower. However, I suppose the use of a high-visibility jacket does away with the need for that. Shared schemes also allow us to govern where vehicles can be parked, which cannot be done with private scooters, although nobody is likely to leave one hanging around the place.

Last week, the Minister said he will not impose age limits on users of e-scooters. It is possible, however, to impose a minimum age limit on a public shared scheme because users need a debit or credit card to access the service, which immediately limits who can do so. I am not at all against private ownership but we need to allow the shared schemes to bed in and the public to develop some confidence in using the vehicles. There is also the question of non-standard builds. Previous speakers referred to parents buying the flimsiest models for children, which break or do not work properly. There is also concern about a free-for-all situation in which privately-owned vehicles can go anywhere, including on any footpath, street, one-way street, pedestrian zone, school or campus, and users cannot be prohibited from doing so.

I disagree with the witnesses on the commercial aspect. There is enough pie for 20 providers in this country. In the case of Dublin City University, for example, which I understand has the same population as Kilkenny city, the college is ready to do, or has done, its own deal with Blue Duck, which involves special technology for use on the campus. There will be lots of other similar schemes. Industrial estates, for instance, and colleges such as the University of Limerick can use private providers to design services for use on the their site or campus to enable workers or students to commute here and there. I see a huge amount of use for that.

I want to put on the record that I prefer the shared schemes model because it instills public confidence and gives people an idea of what they can do and the build they can expect.