Electric Scooters Get Rolling In Reykjavik

Dockless electric scooters were introduced to Reykjavík just last weekend, and are swiftly gaining popularity. City officials and police alike are trying to avoid the pitfalls of the vehicle that have appeared elsewhere in the world.

The scooters, being dockless, can be found all over town. In order to find one, potential riders install and use the app Hopp, which will reveals the locations of all Reykjavík’s scooters, letting a user pick one closest to them. Vísir reports that in just the past few days, their popularity has risen considerably.

Riders that Stöð 2 spoke with were happy with the ease and convenience of use; of being able to avoid the traffic jams that have long become an endemic problem in Reykjavík; and of being able to use this cleaner form of transportation instead of taking their personal car on short journeys.

The police have also taken notice of the new scooters. A man was stopped by police last Saturday for using one of these scooters under the influence, and was hit with a 20,000 ISK fine. Police have also strongly cautioned both pedestrians and scooter riders alike that although these vehicles can travel up to 25 KPH, they are designated for pavement use, and so everyone needs to exercise spatial awareness and caution.

Meanwhile, the city has sought to establish limits on how many of these electric scooters they will own by carefully measuring demand, and making adjustments to the supply accordingly. With time, the city hopes to establish a secure balance between riders and vehicles.