Electric scooters: another town in France introduces ban

A town in eastern France has banned electric scooters in some areas of its centre due to “risky behaviour” by users and to “guarantee peaceful coexistence in public spaces”, the mairie has said.

Mâcon, in Saône-et-Loire (Bourgogne-Franche-Comté), has banned the e-scooters, as well as all similar motorised transportation devices, including unicycles and Segways, on a trial basis until September 30.

Several streets in the town – including the pedestrian areas of rue Carnot and place Saint-Pierre – are subject to the ban, which applies every day from 11:00 to 20:00. Other streets have the restrictions in place on Saturdays from 13:00 to 18:00.

The mairie said that the measures “aim to reduce risky behaviour, make routes safer and guarantee peaceful coexistence in public spaces”.

Currently, the campaign is aiming to raise awareness, but from June 1, anyone who breaks the rules will be fined €35 by the municipal police.

‘A real danger’

The decision came after authorities repeatedly heard from residents that electric scooters were becoming “a real danger in the town centre”, said Maxim Plat, deputy mayor in Mâcon. The new rules were implemented in consultation with residents and shopkeepers, he said.

Socialist member Emile Blondet told France 3 that his party welcomed the measure, but that the council “must now ensure that this measure is implemented”. 

“This will require, in particular, increasing the numbers of our municipal police force and carrying out awareness-raising and prevention work among users,” he said.

Mâcon is not the only town in the area to take measures against the transport methods. Dijon (Côte-d'Or) and Besançon (Doubs) have also banned the scooters in several streets in the town centres – in May and September 2025 respectively.

Albi, in Tarn (Occitanie), also sought to tighten rules on the scooters late last year, and gave police greater authority to intervene in the vehicles’ use if necessary.

Already, scooter users must abide by the road rules in the Code de la route. These state that:

• Scooters are only allowed on cycle paths, and not pavements

• Users must be 14 years or over

• The speed limit is 25 km/h maximum, or 20 km/h in busy areas

• Passengers are not allowed

• Using a phone or wearing headphones or earbuds is not allowed

• The scooter must have lights at the front and back, a horn, and reflective stickers

It is not a legal requirement to wear a helmet, but it is strongly recommended. Riders are also prohibited from using e-scooters on pavements in France, unless the maire has authorised such use. People contravening the rules risk a €135 fine.

There are 2.5 million electric scooter users in France, according to data released in 2024 by the French Agency for Ecological Transition, ADEME. Men are by far the greatest users, making up 79% of private owners and 66% of people who ride rental scooters. 

The growth in popularity has seen an increase in accidents involving e-scooters. 

In a June 2025 release, France’s road safety authority Sécurité routière recorded 900 serious injuries related to e-scooters over the past 12 months, an increase of 28%. It noted that “numerous preventative actions are being carried out by prefectures” in a bid to tackle the issue.

The first national regulations governing e-scooters were introduced in 2020. They stated that all e-scooters must be fitted with front and back lights, brakes and a horn. The minimum age for riders was raised to 14 from 12 in 2023.