It is the triumph of the no to electric scooters. The inhabitants of the capital were invited to decide the fate of self-service scooters in the capital. Only 1.3 million Parisians registered on the electoral lists before March 3 could cast a ballot in the 21 voting points opened for the occasion in the town halls of the arrondissements. Eventually, 103,084 of them spoke. And they largely voted against keeping these electric scooters, since the no won 89% of the vote.
These self-service machines are owned by three companies: Lime, Dott and Tier. Concerned about the outcome of the ballot, these operators have mobilized widely in recent days, including with contested methods, in particular by making races free on Sunday or by paying influencers on social networks. Which obviously wasn’t enough.
An advisory vote
The vote is only of an advisory nature, which means that it will be up to the town hall to decide whether or not to maintain this service, even if Anne Hidalgo had said she was “committed” by the “opinion” of Parisians. . “This citizen vote, which is a first, is similar to a referendum, even if it does not have the legal form,” she said. It remains to be seen what value to give to a vote which gathered barely 7.45% of those registered on the electoral lists.
Anne Hidalgo had expressed her desire to put an end to self-service scooters in an exclusive interview with Parisian Today in France last January. “That Parisians have their own scooter, no problem. But we have a real problem with free floating. It’s not eco. The employees of these companies are not properly protected, “said the mayor of Paris to justify the call for a vote by the inhabitants of the capital.