ETSC Report: Reducing serious injuries on European roads

May 2025 

 

Micro-Mobility for Europe (MMfE) members take road safety very seriously and remain committed to delivering the highest level of safety, starting from vehicle design to rider education and innovative safety features.

We welcome the latest report of the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC), which outlines new policy proposals to improve the safety of e-scooter users. We appreciate the continued recognition of e-scooter riders as vulnerable road users and support the report’s emphasis on a more comprehensive approach to urban road safety.

In particular, we welcome the report’s acknowledgment of the role that infrastructure plays in reducing risks. Investment in protected and well-maintained cycling infrastructure is essential to protect not only e-scooter riders but all vulnerable road users. Safe streets begin with thoughtful design.

We also agree that high-quality, harmonised data on incidents is crucial for evidence-based policy. MMfE continues to take proactive steps in aggregating and analysing data from shared e-scooter trips across Europe. The 2024 incident data shows that the injury risk for shared micro-mobility (e-scooters and e-bikes) decreased by 7.9% compared to 2023 and by 29.8% compared to 2021 (per million kilometres travelled). Notably, injury risk on shared e-scooters was 36% lower than on shared e-bikes, with 7.1 injuries per million trips compared to 11.1.

These figures demonstrate the continued safety gains in the shared micro-mobility sector and reinforce the importance of supporting its growth through policy. In terms of data transparency, MMfE members consistently provide a higher level of openness, particularly when compared to the public bike sharing sector.

It is equally important to ensure clear and consistent rules for all road users. MMfE believes that enforcement and communication are essential pillars of road safety, and supports efforts to clarify traffic regulations and ensure they are upheld fairly across all modes of transport.

However, MMfE does not support mandatory helmet requirements for e- scooter users. Evidence shows that such mandates do not address the root causes of risk, such as unsafe road infrastructure and motor vehicle dominance, and can discourage e-scooter use, undermining broader goals around sustainable and safe urban mobility. Instead, we advocate for encouraging voluntary helmet use through awareness campaigns, incentives, and availability schemes, alongside investment in safer road environments.

Improving road safety requires joint efforts from all road users, effective and enforceable rules, and room for innovation. We note that the report does not differentiate between private and shared e scooters. Since only shared devices are subject to speed caps that cannot be overridden, private devices pose greater regulatory challenges. These differences must be reflected in policy making without penalising shared services.

Any changes to technical standards or design requirements should follow through industry consultation and consider operational realities. MMfE remains open to dialogue with the ETSC, EU institutions, and local authorities to ensure policies support safe, accessible urban mobility.

 

Shared Micromobility: A Key Solution to Combat Transport Poverty

May 2025 

 

Cycling Industries Europe’s Bike Share Expert Group and Micro-Mobility for Europe Joint Press Release

Cycling Industries Europe (CIE) Bike Share Experts and Micro-Mobility for Europe (MMfE) emphasize the crucial role of shared micromobility services in addressing transport poverty and achieving a just transition towards sustainable mobility. Both organizations fully support the establishment of a Social Climate Fund (SCF), financed by revenues from the European Emissions Trading System (ETS), to provide affordable and accessible transport options for vulnerable communities.

CIE & MMfE members have jointly delivered position papers to the national ministries of the EU member states to ensure that bike and scooter sharing are well represented in the National Social Climate Fund Implementation Plans.

Proposals comprise different measures including

  • Investing into parking infrastructure for shared micromobility vehicles
  • Fix support budgets to expand existing bike sharing schemes into peripheral regions, well integrated into public transport systems
  • Flexible support budgets to implement Mobility Budgets or Social Tariffs for low-income people with access to all public and private shared micromobility services, or establishing incentive programs to support use-cases that otherwise cannot be served profitably, ex providing services in transport poor areas

Transport poverty, the inability to access affordable and reliable transportation, disproportionately affects low-income households. Shared micromobility services, such as e-bikes and e-scooters, offer a cost-effective and convenient solution to bridge this gap, particularly for short trips and first- and last-mile connections to public transport.

The Social Climate Fund presents a unique opportunity to invest in shared micromobility infrastructure and subsidize fares for those in need. By doing so, it can directly address transport poverty, improve social inclusion, and promote sustainable travel behavior.

CIE Bike Share Expert Group and MMfE are united in their commitment to the following objectives:

  • Expanding access to shared micromobility services in underserved communities.
  • Integrating shared micromobility with public transport networks.
  • Promoting the environmental and health benefits of shared micromobility.
  • Ensuring the safety and accessibility of shared micromobility for all users.

By working together, CIE Bike Share Expert Group and MMfE believe that shared micromobility can play a significant role in creating a more equitable and sustainable transport system for all.

Selected Country-by-Country position papers of our industry

Belgium – Le vélo en libre-service au cœur du Fonds social pour le climat en Belgique

Germany – Empfehlungen der Fahrradverbände

Italy – Mobilita-condivisa-e-vulnerabilita-alla-poverta-dei-trasporti-analisi-delle-misure- d’intervento by Observatorio Nazionale Sharing Mobility (Shared Mobility Platform) – The Shared Mobility Platform is an independent body monitoring and promoting all shared mobility services in Italy.

Netherlands – Het Sociaal Klimaatfonds – standpuntnota van de gedeelde micromobiliteit-industrie

Poland – Rekomendacje Stowarzyszenia Nowej Mobilności (PSNM)

Spain – Manifiesto de los actores de la bicicleta compartida en España para el FSC

Incident Data 2024


April 2025 

 

In 2024, injuries decreased by 7.9% per million kilometres. While the amount of trips increased by 4% more trips vis-à-vis 2023, the number of total injuries by shared e-scooter users decreased by 4%.

Between 2021 and 2024, the number of fatal injuries or serious injuries requiring medical treatment while riding an e-scooter dropped by 29.8% per million km.. Similarly, the number of fatal injuries or the ones requiring medical treatment related to shared e-bikes decreased by 13.3% per million km throughout 2022-2024.

MMfE aggregated data shows that the risk of a serious injury riding an e-scooter is lower than riding an e-bike, 15.4/million km and 20.1/million km respectively. 

In the last 4 years, several factors have contributed to the decrease in accidents while riding a shared e- scooter. Firstly, MMfE Members offer technologically advanced e-scooters with significantly improved safety features.

Additionally, educational campaigns in cooperation between some cities and micro-mobility operators helped to raise awareness regarding safe driving, and using vehicles properly, such as avoiding multiple people on a single scooter or driving while intoxicated. Moreover, European cities improved infrastructure creating safer conditions for shared micro- mobility users.

The European Commission‘s latest data for 2024 shows that urban road user fatalities occur overwhelmingly when a crash involves motorised vehicles. MMfE remains committed to improving road safety, especially for Vulnerable Road Users, by working towards Vision Zero, the EU’s objective to reduce road fatalities and serious injuries to zero, in collaboration with policymakers, cities, and micro-mobility users. MMfE believes that reducing overall speed limits can play a significant role in improving safety of VRUs. In comparison to privately owned micro-mobility vehicles, shared micro-mobility vehicles are subject to speed caps limiting maximum speed that cannot be overridden. Through geofencing, shared micro-mobility is further reducing the speed of their users in certain areas such as pedestrian zones, where required. In addition, shared devices are subject to regular maintenance and cannot be tampered with. 

MMfE data from 2024 is based on more than 312 million shared e-scooter trips covering more than 562 million km and more than 79 million shared e-bike rides covering more than 237 million km. 2024 data has been aggregated based on safety reports by Bird, Bolt, TIER-Dott, Lime and Voi, the leading shared micro-mobility operators in Europe and follows the same methodology as for the years 2021, 2022, and 2023 covering the EU27, Israel, Norway, Switzerland and the UK. 

Quote from MMfE Co-Chair Christy Pearson:

“A nearly 30% drop in injuries since 2021 shows that investments in infrastructure, rider education, and better vehicles are delivering real results. As cities look to reduce dependency on private cars and improve safety for everyone, shared e-scooters and e-bikes are proving they are not just sustainable, but increasingly secure. In addition, the demand for our members’ services continues to grow as we reached more than 312 million e-scooter and more than 79 million e-bike trips in 2024. We look positively in the future and want to strengthen our services and collaboration with decision makers on local, regional, national and EU level.”

Read the full article here.

Simplification of Regulation for Shared Micro-mobility


March 2025 

 

Despite our role in fostering sustainable mobility, the sector faces increasingly complex regulatory barriers. Many regulations, particularly under the EU Battery Regulation (Regulation 2023/1542), impose disproportionate burdens on shared mobility operators by treating fleet-managed vehicles as consumer products. This approach does not reflect the unique operational realities of shared micro-mobility and creates unnecessary obstacles to sustainable urban transport, hampering our contribution to the decarbonisation goals enshrined in the Green Deal. 

We urge EU policymakers to streamline regulations in a way that supports innovation, sustainability, and the single market. This is in line with findings of the Draghi Report and the Competitiveness Compass, and we call on EU decision-makers to take the specific needs of our sector into account in the upcoming horizontal Single Market Strategy, which will modernise the governance framework, by removing intra EU-barriers. 

In the following, we outline specific policy recommendations to ensure that the regulatory framework remains fit for purpose.

Read the full article here.

Micro-Mobility for Europe’s feedback on greening of corporate fleets initiative

July 2024 

 

Micro-Mobility for Europe (MMfE) is a coalition of shared micro-mobility providers such as short-term rental of electric scooters and bicycles. MMfE gathers the five major operators of shared e-bikes and e-scooters in Europe, namely Bird, Bolt, Lime, TIER-Dott and Voi. In 2023 alone, more than 300 million e-scooter and 58 million e-bike trips were taken in Europe, which shows that our members’ services are an established mobility option for urban dwellers.

MMfE contributes to achieving the decarbonisation targets of the European Green Deal by offering sustainable mobility solutions and therefore to reducing air pollution and traffic congestion in cities. As the recent Clean Cities Campaign publication found, shared mobility solutions are essential alternatives to car ownership and use.

MMfE believes that sustainable, active and collective mobility needs to be incentivised, instead of promoting car ownership rates. Given that private cars are not used for the vast majority of time, the aforementioned mobility modes offer a more resource efficient solution, especially in urban areas. While the greening of fleets is a step forward to achieve climate goals, we strongly call for increased investment in infrastructure for shared micro-mobility, and for acknowledging shared micro-mobility options as an alternative to company cars and private car ownership.

If Europe wants to move away from private car usage, there is a need to offer a variety of sustainable mobility options for citizens.

MMfE is calling on the European Commission to explore other means of transport such as shared micro-mobility to reduce environmental impact and increase resource efficiency by using shared e-scooters/e-bikes or bicycles.

Injuries of micro-mobility users continue to drop dramatically, MMfE released micro-mobility accident data shows

May 2024 

 

In 2023, the number of shared e-scooter and e-bike injuries has continued to fall. This improvement has been achieved thanks to different factors. Technological innovation enabled operators to deploy newer models, while at the same time, operators and cities have invested in education campaigns, and cities have taken action to improve infrastructure.

In comparison with 2022, the number of all reported injuries per million trips declined by 44% for shared e-scooters. With regards to the number of incidents requiring medical treatment and fatal injuries, incidents dropped by 19%.

The trend for shared e-bikes is similar, as the number of all reported injuries per million trips declined by 39%, while the number of incidents requiring medical treatment and fatal injuries dropped by 16%.

When comparing different transport modes, MMfE data shows that the risk of injury requiring a medical treatment while riding an e-scooter is slightly lower than with driving an e-bike, 3.3/million km and 3.9/million km for e-scooters and e-bikes respectively.

Overwhelming majority of injuries were caused due to fall of the user or a collision with a heavier motor vehicle. As data from the European Commission for 2023 show, almost 70% of vulnerable road user fatalities, including cyclists and shared micro-mobility users involve motor vehicles. These findings confirm the recent study by OECD, the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) and the International Transport Forum (ITF) which has reported that the main reasons behind injuries of micro-mobility users remain inadequate infrastructure and the intoxication by alcohol while the devices employed by shared micro-mobility operators are the safest in comparison with the ones owned by individuals. MMfE continues its determination to achieve Vision Zero and has shared its recommendations which require action beyond micro mobility operators, including investments in safe infrastructure across the EU and support for law enforcement authorities for consequent and fair treatment of traffic rule violators on e-scooters, bikes and cars.

2023 MMfE data is based on more than 300 million e-scooters journeys covering more than 540 million kilometres and more than 58 million e-bikes rides covering more than 139 million kilometres. The figures only include shared micro-mobility, which are subject to strict rules including speed caps and geofencing, unlike privately owned micro mobility devices. The data has been aggregated based on incident reports by Bird, Bolt, Dott, Lime, TIER and Voi, and follows the same methodology as for the years 2021 and 2022, and covers the EU27, Israel, Norway, Switzerland and the UK.


Christy Pearson, Co-Chair of Micro-Mobility for Europe:
We are glad to see that our efforts in vehicle design and education, combined with cities’ efforts to improve infrastructure translate to a significant drop in injuries related to shared micro-mobility. However, the journey is not over and we are committed to continue our work towards Vision Zero. This also requires cities’ continued efforts, in particular with regards to motor vehicles, as almost 70% of cyclist and e-scooter rider fatalities involve motor vehicles, which highlights the need for safe infrastructure for vulnerable road users as well as reducing speed limits for motorised vehicles.

MMfE statement on the Signature of the European Declaration on Cycling

April 2024 

 

Micro-Mobility for Europe welcomes today’s signature of the European Declaration on Cycling. EU Member States, the European Commission and the European Parliament are joining forces and are calling for more investments in infrastructure, improving road safety and supporting multimodality.

Improvements in cycling infrastructure will also benefit micro-mobility users as they share the same infrastructure and rely on national, regional and local decision-makers to move away from car centric spatial planning. Promoting investments in cycling infrastructure and acknowledging the role cycling can play for first/last-mile transport and complementing public transport are aspects that also apply to shared micro-mobility.

Micro-Mobility for Europe has contributed to the process of drawing up the Declaration as part of its work in the European Commission Expert Group on Urban Mobility.

Co-Chair Marc Naether stated: “Today is a historic moment that shows that cycling, walking and shared micro-mobility are increasingly receiving the attention of EU policy-makers, as they offer more sustainable and efficient modes of transport and are alternatives to privately-owned cars in urban areas. Looking ahead, we count on policy-makers to take ambitious action during the upcoming term and to monitor actions taken on national level to make the Declaration a reality.”

OECD-ITF and NTUA on Micro-mobility Safety

March 2024 

 

MMfE welcomes the important work of OECD-ITF and the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) on micro-mobility safety. Thanks to combined efforts between the industry, cities and regulators, we see that shared micro-mobility is becoming safer as the casualty risk for shared e-scooters drops by 26% in Europe. Almost 80% of cyclist and e-scooter rider fatalities involve motor vehicles, which highlights the need for safe infrastructure for vulnerable road users as well as reducing speed limits for motorised vehicles.

MMfE members have already implemented many recommended measures, like speed caps, mandatory initial rider training or age verification where mandated by law. Also, the tendency of shared vehicles to become bigger and sturdier as recommended by the report, is starting to show positive results.

There is more to be done and MMfE and its members are committed to continue collaborating closely with all stakeholders towards Vision Zero. At the same time, increasing safety is a shared goal that requires action by all stakeholders beyond micro-mobility operators.

  • Reducing overall speed limits for motorised traffic in urban areas

  • Investment in safe infrastructure across the EU

  • Supporting cities, for example with data, in proactively maintaining micro-mobility infrastructure

  • Supporting cities in awareness raising and education campaigns

  • Supporting law enforcement authorities for consequent and fair treatment of traffic rule violators on e-scooters, bikes and cars

Continuing to invest into reasonable and sustainable safety technology if proven effective
Our vision is a future where any ride of less than 5km can be made safely on a shared micro-mobility vehicle. In order for this to happen, we are collaborating with all other organisations representing Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs) and sustainable urban mobility stakeholders to challenge the dominance of the car in our urban mobility.

European Mobility Week Workshop

March 2024

 

Micro Mobility for Europe (MMfE) represented by Christy Pearson (Voi) and Amandine Mauvais (Dott) was invited by Eurocities to host a discussion table during the European Mobility Week Workshop in Brussels. The workshop was organised by DG MOVE and Eurocities. During the workshop, the European Commission, representatives of municipalities, national coordinators, and mobility operators together designed the ideal shared urban space.

Participants of the discussion table acknowledged the increasing numbers of shared micro-mobility devices in the past years and that cities need to create suitable frameworks to accommodate new modes of transport. During the discussion, an agreement was found that cities should not be designed for cars. Parking has been a challenge for both, industry and municipalities. MMfE representatives highlighted the lack of dedicated parking infrastructure for shared e-scooters and presented best practices from Stockholm and Ghent with the use of existing bicycle rack infrastructure. Participants agreed to replace car parking with parking for shared micro-mobility devices.

Technical requirements for e-scooters

March 2024

 

Micro-mobility presents a valuable opportunity to enhance urban mobility in Europe. Using aggregated data from the members of Micro-mobility for Europe (MMfE), more than 240 million trips by shared e-scooter took place in 2022 across 515 cities in Europe. European cities can unlock the potential of micro-mobility by adopting common European technical standards and investing in infrastructure. Micro-mobility provides citizens with flexible and clean options for first and last-mile trips and addresses congestion, pollution, and traffic safety challenges. 

 

Status quo: how are e-scooters regulated at the EU level? 

E scooters are currently excluded from the Machinery Directive’s scope and Regulation (EU) No 168/2013 and are regulated under the EN17128 standard in Europe. This CEN standard has been in force since April 2021, replacing the previous standard EN14619. 

EN17128 specifies the safety requirements and test methods on a vehicle and component level. It also identifies the marking and information Personal Light Electric Vehicles (PLEVs) need to carry to reduce the risk of injuries to third parties and the rider during use, i.e., when used as intended and under conditions of misuse reasonably foreseeable by the manufacturer. 

 

Pain points for micro-mobility operators: the absence of a harmonised framework 

MMfE believes, with its current content, that the EN17128 standard can serve as a basis to regulate e-scooter vehicles in Europe, setting adequate technical requirements for the safety and structural integrity of e-scooters. 

The main limitation observed to date does not lie in the standard’s content but in its applicability in Europe, which varies significantly among Member States. As EN17128 is not linked to a specific piece of European legislation, Member States have been able to deviate from the standard and impose their own frameworks at a national level – as is the case in the Netherlands, Spain, Germany, and Ireland, amongst others. 

This regional variance has created significant operating challenges for micro-mobility operators who must navigate a patchwork of national rules regarding vehicle classification, hardware requirements, market entry procedures, and applicable traffic rules. Such market fragmentation has also created great uncertainty for users of the traffic and road use rules that apply to different micro-mobility modes across the region, ultimately hindering the habitual uptake of more sustainable mobility. 

 

MMfE’s recommendation on the way forward: European harmonisation 

MMfE calls upon the Commission to ensure that harmonised rules apply to e-scooters across Europe. Such harmonisation should encourage innovation and permit the growth of a transport mode with great potential to help the EU achieve its climate goals. 

In this context, MMfE would like to propose a few options to update and harmonise the European regulatory framework for e-scooters: 

  • Inclusion of EN 17128 standard under the Machinery Regulation: MMfE welcomes the intention of the CEN/TC/354 Committee to include the EN17128 standard in the scope of the Machinery Regulation. MMfE would support the inclusion of the standard in the scope of the Machinery Regulation, should it ensure the consistent application of the standard by all Member States and prevent the design of national regulations. MMfE is open to studying the possible additional technical requirements around noise and vibrations together with the experts of the Committee.

  • Type-approval system for e-scooters: The most critical element for MMfE in redefining European legislation for e-scooters is to ensure a harmonised practice and standard is used across Europe. Should the inclusion of EN17128 in the Machinery Regulation not be sufficient to ensure the application of the standard across all European Member States, MMfE would be open to exploring the possibility of an EU wide type-approval system for e-scooters, which is structured around a light homologation procedure. MMfE is confident that Germany’s regulatory framework for e-scooters can serve as a solid foundation for such a system. This document lists the hardware requirements and vehicle tests, taken from the German regulatory framework, that we believe would streamline the homologation procedure while also prioritising the safety of our passengers and vehicles.

  • Design of a new standard by IECEE: The IECEE is in the process of devising its own standard ‘IEC 63281-1:2023’ for electrically powered transport devices, or ‘e-Transporters’ for sharing and public use. Although the standard addresses different electrical, mechanical and environmental aspects of EN17128, introducing an additional standard would only further fragment the current regulatory framework. It is imperative that CEN-CENELEC and IECEE collaborate to create a unified standard that not only offers greater legal certainty to the industry but also eliminates any overlap between the two standards.

 

Conclusion

MMfE’s key priority for redefining European legislation of e-scooters, is to ensure harmonised practices are used across Europe. This will promote the growth of a transport mode that has a great role to play in ensuring minimum safety standards, reducing car dependency and encouraging greater uptake of micro mobility, in line with European climate objectives. MMfE remains available to discuss and collaborate with relevant stakeholders and institutions to identify the best legal and technical mechanisms to achieve this goal.