Outright ban of e-scooters to follow new upcoming laws, Government insists

The Taoiseach also said 'e-scooters are being used significantly in drug-dealing, money-laundering, and for criminal enterprises'

Government sources insisted that while a full ban has not been ruled out, there is confidence that the registration and licensing requirement will act as a 'big deterrent' for those currently using them illegally. File picture

The Government has insisted the prospect of an all-out ban on e-scooters remains on the table, but new laws will be introduced first to crack down on illegal usage.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Tánaiste Simon Harris, junior transport minister Sean Canney, and justice minister Jim O’Callaghan met in Government Buildings on Monday morning with Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly to discuss the usage of e-scooters.

The Taoiseach and Mr Canney suggested they were “leaning towards” an outright ban, but in the meantime, several new rules, which can be introduced in the coming weeks, were agreed at the meeting.

They include:

• Increasing the legal age for e-scooter usage from 16 to 18 from August.
• Requiring those using e-scooters to wear a helmet and high-visibility clothing from August.
• Passing legislation later this year to classify e-scooters as “mechanically propelled vehicles”, which will require licensing and registration.
• Providing further legal protections to gardaí when pursuing e-scooters and e-bikes, mirroring what is done in the UK.
• Toy shops will be banned from selling e-scooters.

Sources at the meeting told the Irish Examiner that an outright ban on all e-scooter usage has not been ruled out, but measures had to be implemented “in the here and now”.

The measures were described as “interim, immediate action”, and there was a feeling in the meeting of “let’s do this now and look at it again”.

An interim report from Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) last week revealed a 50% increase in the number of children and young people being admitted to hospital with traumatic brain injuries as a result of e-scooter incidents.

The Taoiseach has “made it clear” that the crackdown on e-scooters will be further assessed when the final report from CHI is received. 

Minister for health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill had requested the deputy chief medical officer, Ellen Crushell, to commission a report from CHI. She is expected to provide a final report and recommendations to Ms Carroll MacNeill by mid-August.

Yesterday's meeting discussed what an outright ban on e-scooters would mean for those using them legally, with questions raised about whether a reimbursement or replacement scheme would have to be introduced.

Government sources insisted that while a full ban has not been ruled out, there is confidence that the registration and licensing requirement will act as a “big deterrent” for those currently using them illegally.

The regulations increasing the age for e-scooters and mandating the use of helmets and high-vis clothing will be brought to Cabinet next week by transport minister Darragh O’Brien and could be introduced in early August.

The licensing and registration requirements will be introduced in the autumn.

Mr Canney said that an all-out ban would not have come into place until the end of year, and the Government wanted to “do something right now”.

The Taoiseach, meanwhile, insisted that a “full ban will be kept on the table as an option”. “Parents need to take on responsibility here as well. They shouldn't be purchasing e-scooters for young people,” Mr Martin said.

“What's also increasingly clear from the Garda Commissioner is that e-scooters are being used significantly in drug-dealing, money-laundering, and for criminal enterprises.

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“We want to make it very clear that if an e-scooter is seized, that the penalties will be much higher to get that e-scooter back. There’ll be a range of measures on that front as well.”

Mr Martin described the preliminary report from CHI that was discussed at the meeting as “very serious”, with traumatic brain injuries caused by e-scooters now accounting for a third of all presentations at children's hospitals.

The Irish Examiner also understands that Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly told the meeting that a pilot project will begin in west Dublin today that will see the first drones sent into the sky to monitor scrambler bikes.

• Louise Burne, political correspondent