The ban on entering electric scooters and unicycles on public transport, in force from February 1 to July 31, has harmed thousands of users. In half of the cases they have no choice but to walk more or use other collective means to complete their trips, which entails more time and complexity. This veto also has an impact on the forced mobility of those affected, since eight out of ten used these one-person vehicles on the journeys to their places of work or study. These are the main conclusions of a report prepared by the Grup d'Estudis de Mobilitat, Transport i Territori (Gemott) of the Department of Geography of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), based on interviews with people who combined both media.
The Autoritat del Transport Metropolità (ATM) prohibited the entry of these personal mobility vehicles (VMP) in buses, trams, subways and trains for six months, the time in which, together with the operators, it plans to study a possible regulation to the in this regard after one exploded in a Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat (FGG) wagon on November 17, causing three injuries. This consortium estimates that 8,300 people accessed the different media with them every day and generated 14,400 trips per day, 0.6% of the total.
For the study, 311 surveys were carried out on users who combined these one-person means with the collective ones the week prior to the entry into force of the ban on access to nine railway stations. A second part is planned to evaluate the changes in habits produced in greater depth and see if those that were declared have been carried out. This first installment indicates that a third of those interviewed –32%– planned to replace the VMP by walking and 16% with more public transport. These two groups add up to practically half of those affected, 48%. The bicycle was the alternative for 11% and the car for 8%.
"These are public transport users who also used electric scooters to complete their journeys and who, with the ban, mostly thought that they would have a loss of quality in their mobility," says Carme Miralles-Guasch, author of the study together with Oriol marquet. In fact, these travelers valued the part of their journeys that they did in VMP better than the one they did in other means. She also highlights that 56.2% took these VMPs to the metro, bus, tram or train in two daily trips, a very significant amount. Another relevant element for the co-author is the age of those affected. 33.6% are between 18 and 24 years old and 26.6% between 25 and 34. The fact that most of them are young can give an idea of a particularly limited economic capacity, which would be in line with the large number that choose to replace these means by walking, which is free.
Before the ban, almost half –48.2%– combined the VMP with Rodalies, 23.8% with the metro, 21.5% with more than one medium, 5.1% with FGC, the 1% with the tram and 0.3% with the bus. Those affected in the first group, if they wish to replace these one-person vehicles with another collective system, are the ones who have an economic penalty since they could travel with the free Renfe pass and after the ban they must acquire another additional ticket, which, although it is subsidized, has its cost.
It is noteworthy that despite the fact that 90.7% of those surveyed were aware of the ban, 12% did not foresee making changes after its entry into force; that is, he intended to continue entering public transport with his VMP. In this sense, it should be noted that indiscipline –at least that detected– is low. According to data from the ATM, in these first three months of the veto –89 days from February to April– 243 sanctions have been imposed. The average is 2.7 per day. In Rodalies 32 have been studied; in FGC, 21; on the TMB metro, 185 and five on the tram. The fines are 200 euros. There have been no notable incidents.
One of the proposals offered by the Administration to alleviate the impact of the ban has been to improve the safe parking of scooters at the stations of origin and destination of the trips. However, the answers collected from the interviewees do not suggest that this solution will be successful. Only 1.3% planned to continue traveling on a scooter and park it. It should be noted that more than 92% of those surveyed have never parked their VMP on public roads.
With a view to a future regulation, if the ATM finally chooses to allow the entry of these VMPs into public transport without further ado or with conditions -sources consulted in the different operators hold divergent positions in this regard-, 37.6% of those surveyed believe that the collective means are not sufficiently prepared and 45.9% that they are a nuisance to other travelers.
