LAST UPDATE | 7 Oct 2024

TRANSPORT MINISTER EAMON Ryan has said he believes there will be a return of electric scooters on public transport at a later date, “when it’s safe to do so”.

A new ban on e-scooters on public transport has taken effect as of today after the National Transport Authority (NTA) cited fears of fires, toxic fumes and explosions, which it says can be caused by e-scooters’ lithium-ion batteries.

Ryan said the ban is a “temporary measure” and expects it will be lifted once we see the “standards of e-scooters improving”, in response to legislation passed by the government outlining the requirements of the popular devices.

The NTA has said it will review the measure early next year.

Sustainable transport campaigners such as the Dublin Commuter Coalition have criticised the ban, given the government legalised e-scooters earlier this year.

Before any review is carried out, anyone caught with an e-scooter on a train faces a €100 fine.

Speaking today, Ryan said that the “first day of any new measure” usually faces teething problems.

He said it “takes a while for people to settle in but you find a month later, it’s working really well, and it’ll be similar with the regulation of e-scooters”.

The former Green Party leader predicted that the review that the NTA have committed to will eventually “see a return to e-scooters on our public transport” at a later date.

“We have to adhere to the safety advice in this interim period, while those regulations kick in and the standards improve, people should not carry e-scooters on public transport,” Ryan added.

“That will be something we can and will regulate and manage, but it is a temporary measure. It will my mind be reviewed when the impact of the legislation kicks in.”