A rising trend in urban areas around the world, electronic scooters have become a common sight in many cities, including Dubai. Not for the fainthearted, e-scooters are a quick, easy and convenient way to get around the city – the modern and eco-friendly way.
This urban mode of transportation has become easier to access around the world in recent years and following the success of e-bikes, there are now e-scooter rental and sharing services sprouting up around the globe.
In October 2020, Dubai launched a trial run for the city’s first official e-scooter rental initiative available in five areas of the city: 2nd December Street in Satwa, Al Rigga in Deira, Dubai Internet City, Jumeirah Lake Towers and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard in Downtown Dubai.
The trial run is conducted in collaboration between Dubai Roads & Transportation Authority (RTA), local scooter rental suppliers Arnab and Skurt, and global providers Careem, Lime and TIER. At the moment, e-scooters can only be used in the five designated areas and on dedicated and marked e-scooter paths.
When renting a scooter in Dubai, it is important to follow the official safety guidelines that have been issued, which include:
- You have to be minimum 14 years old to ride an e-scooter
- Wearing a protective helmet
- Parking e-scooters in the designated parking lots
- Individual riding; no passengers permitted
- Adhering to traffic laws and getting off the scooter at traffic lights and while using pedestrian crossings
- Keeping a safe distance from other scooters, bikes, cars and pedestrians
- Not wearing earplugs or other headphones
Pre-ride safety checks for rental scooters
In addition to the general safety guidelines that have been issued as part of the e-scooter trial in Dubai, the Road & Transport Authority in Dubai has issued a pre-ride safety check for e-scooter rentals which includes a quick three-step process to ensure your rental scooter is safe to ride:
- Pump the hand brakes manually to ensure they are working properly.
- Check tires to verify they are undamaged.
- Visually inspect body of the scooter for cracks or other structural damage.