E-scooter. Photo: Roni Rekomaa / Lehtikuva
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The City of Turku is preparing to ban rental electric scooters during weekend nights as part of new licensing rules allowed under Finland’s updated micromobility legislation.
According to Noora Salmelainen, project coordinator for mobility services at the City of Turku, the proposal would restrict e-scooter use in the city centre from midnight to 5 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.
“No decisions have been made yet, but we’ve prepared for a potential weekend night ban based on experiences from other cities,” Salmelainen said.
Helsinki has had a weekend night restriction in place since 2021. It will retain the ban under the new law, which took effect in June. The updated micromobility legislation allows cities to require rental operators to obtain licences and follow local conditions, including limits on parking, hours of use, and speed.
Reetta Putkonen, director of traffic and street planning in Helsinki, said the ban has helped reduce incidents without disrupting overall availability.
“The weekend night driving ban has been effective in reducing problems, while still allowing the business to operate quite well,” Putkonen said.
The law also introduced a national age minimum and blood alcohol limit for e-scooter users.
In Turku, one of the main problems has been improper parking. Scooters are often left on pavements or in pedestrian areas despite marked parking zones. City officials are now planning to increase the number of designated parking spots and introduce no-parking or restricted driving zones in the central district.
Salmelainen said parking issues are more pressing for the city than late-night usage, but both are under review as part of the new licensing framework.
Rental companies are watching developments closely. Voi Technology Finland, one of the leading providers of shared e-scooters, criticised the proposed night ban but supported other elements of the law, including the new alcohol and age restrictions.
Max Thelen, Voi’s country manager for Finland, called the planned driving restriction premature.
“Our view is that it is not worth rushing into such restrictive measures now that the new legislation is in place. It is worth remembering that the majority of use is during weekday commuting, not at night,” she said.
Municipal licensing systems are now being developed across Finland and are expected to be in place by early 2026. Turku aims to finalise its framework this autumn and implement it at the start of next year.
HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
