E-SCOOTERS ARE TO be banned from public transport in early October for safety reasons, the National Transport Authority has announced.

Train and bus users will no longer be allowed to bring e-scooters on board with them as they can be a fire hazard. 

Similar restrictions are already in place in Berlin, Barcelona, and the UK.

The ban will apply to e-scooters but not e-bikes or mobility scooters, the NTA said.

E-scooters are a relatively new sight on Irish roads and were unregulated until earlier this year. 

A sign on a UK train informing passengers of the ban on travelling with e-scooters. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

“The quality control of their construction is therefore not as mature or well developed as e-bikes and mobility scooters, which have been regulated for longer,” an NTA statement said.

The batteries of e-bikes and mobility scooters do not pose the same level of risk of combustion, it said, adding that the restriction on e-scooters will be subject to a periodic review. 

The new guidance is based on safety concerns related to many lithium-ion batteries, which are commonplace in e-scooters. 

“These batteries are known to develop internal faults, leading to overheating and combustion,” the NTA said, citing fires on public transport in Madrid and Barcelona.

The new rule applies to all services operated under a contract with the NTA, including Dublin Bus, Bus Éireann, Go-Ahead Ireland, Iarnród Éireann and Luas.