More than 9,000 rental e-scooters belonging to kick-sharing companies have accumulated at an impound lot in Almaty, with the vehicles sitting there for months. The city's Police Department reported this, according to infohub.kz.
Speed limits for rental e-scooters took effect in early July. On August 25, a ban on riding them on sidewalks and using them without a driver's license came into force; riders are also required to wear helmets. Police are actively patrolling the streets and sending vehicles to the impound lot for violations.
In less than a month — since August 25 — more than 6,000 administrative protocols have been drawn up against e-scooter riders. As a result, according to the Police Department, more than 9,000 e-scooters are currently at the impound lot.
"The vehicle must be technically sound and have registration plates. Only adults with a driver's license can access it," emphasized Saltanat Azirbek, press secretary of the Almaty Police Department. Otherwise, the scooters will end up at the impound lot.
For users, riding on the sidewalk, carrying passengers or cargo, or riding across a pedestrian crossing instead of walking the scooter alongside carries a fine of 21,625 tenge. In an emergency situation, the fine will be higher.
Recall that over the years of use, kick-sharing scooters have become "last-mile" transport for getting to, for example, a metro station. With numerous restrictions, this function has become meaningless. However, the need for them this summer has increased due to numerous road repairs.
Earlier, Kursiv LifeStyle wrote that Almaty residents launched several petitions against speed limits on scooters. In one of them, the measure was called absurd.