Speed limits to be mandatory for e-scooters in Türkiye: Transport minister

Türkiye’s Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Abdulkadir Uraloglu, announced on Monday plans to amend regulations governing shared electric scooters (e-scooters). The changes will address a wide range of issues, from automatic speed reduction to promoting domestic production, Uraloglu said.

Recalling that regulation was introduced in 2021 to minimize uncertainties, problems, and environmental impacts associated with e-scooter use, Uraloglu stated that significant revisions would be made to meet emerging needs, according to the ministry.

Speed limits and safety measures for e-scooters

Highlighting the importance of traffic safety and compliance with speed limits, Uraloglu said: “We will prevent e-scooters from entering restricted areas. Those entering high-speed zones will be identified, and operators will notify users. Additionally, operators will automatically reduce the speed of e-scooters entering prohibited areas. Companies failing to enforce these speed regulations will face administrative fines of ₺6,923 ($194).”

The minister also emphasized that accidents or incidents involving e-scooters must be recorded by operators. These records, along with complaints, will be submitted monthly to a ministry database. Furthermore, e-scooters in service must maintain a minimum battery charge level of 20%.

To address concerns over licensing and standards, Uraloglu said municipal decisions on e-scooter permits must include details about parking and charging stations where applicable.

Uraloglu added that to maintain a certain standard, at least 30% of the e-scooters in service would need to be sourced from local manufacturers, and companies failing to meet this local production requirement would face operational bans.