Too many shared scooters in cities lead to frustration and action. Scootervrij, an action group that fights the proliferation of shared scooters, has recently shown that various providers of these means of transport exceed the established limits. Their analysis shows that more than 25 shared scooters have been placed unlawfully in 1.100 Dutch municipalities.

The Hague appears to be the hardest hit with a surplus of 179 scooters. Amsterdam and Almere follow with 159 and 151 scooters above the permitted numbers respectively. According to Scootervrij, scooter sharing provider Check is the least reliable; they placed 643 too many scooters.

The problem of nuisance caused by shared scooters is not new. Municipalities set limits for the number of scooters to combat this nuisance. “Many residents are annoyed by the scooters. The providers, however, often ignore these limits in their pursuit of maximum profit,” says Collin Molenaar of Scootervrij. He emphasizes that despite the annoyances, providers of shared scooters often ignore the rules.

De struggle van Scootervrij has not gone unnoticed by the municipalities. Several cities, including Capelle aan den IJssel, Eindhoven, Leeuwarden and Zwolle, have indicated that they will take measures against the violations. These municipalities order providers to remove the extra scooters and to adhere to the established rules.