THE WORLD’S LARGEST e-scooter sharing company has rolled back plans to launch in Ireland because of a weight limit imposed by the government when it legalised the devices in May.

Lime, which operates in cities across Europe and the world, told The Journal it was “very disappointed” at the 25kg imposed by the government, which it says has ruled out models used across the international scooter sharing industry.

However, another scooter sharing firm, Bolt, said it still hopes to launch in Ireland with smaller scooters that comply with the Irish rules. Scooter sharing is similar to bike sharing schemes such as Bleeper or Dublin Bikes, with users picking up a scooter from the street and unlocking it with an app.

An Irish company, Zeus, has developed a 25kg model for the Irish market. A fourth firm, Tier, also hopes to launch e-scooters in Ireland but it has to develop a compliant scooter first.

“While the 25kg weight limit prevents us from bringing our most advanced e-scooter model to Ireland, we are confident that we will be able to provide a compliant e-scooter service in the coming months,” Tier said.

Records obtained under Freedom of Information show that during the drafting of the legislation the scooter sharing industry repeatedly warned the Department of Transport of the impact a 25kg weight restriction would have on its ability to offer services in Ireland.

The problem came about partly as a result of the government’s long delay in legalising e-scooters, which had already been legislated for in other European countries before Ireland finally did so.

EU legislation on motor insurance, finalised in 2023, set a 25kg threshold above which vehicles need to be insured; other EU countries had already legalised e-scooters before this directive entered force.

The Department of Transport told The Journal the 25kg limit was also intended to give “due consideration” to other vulnerable road users, particularly those using cycle lanes, and was agreed with the Road Safety Authority.

Lime’s shared e-scooters, which weigh about 50kg, are available in cities including London and Berlin, but were banned along with several other shared scooter brands in Paris last year, following a plebiscite. The French capital’s mayor deemed shared scooters a “nuisance” for the way they littered footpaths and affected pedestrians.

Lime has long been open about its desire to offer scooter sharing in Ireland, telling an Oireachtas committee in 2022 that it had made a “significant investment” in its Irish operation and hoped to serve areas across Ireland, including Dublin. It located its European headquarters in Dublin in 2019, reportedly with logistical support from the IDA, the state’s inward investment agency.

The company said this weekend that the 25kg weight limit “prevents deployment of not only Lime’s, but the industry’s, most recent and advanced shared models” and meant “robust and advanced safety hardware and technology” including larger wheels, dual braking systems and on-board diagnostics would not be possible.

Larger wheels make scooters safer to ride on uneven ground.

“The restriction will reduce the benefits of legalising scooters in Ireland and prevent Irish towns and cities from benefitting from the positive impacts of shared e-scooter services. Should this change in the future, we would of course love to launch in cities like Dublin to help deliver residents a mode of transport that is shared, affordable and carbon-free,” Lime said.

Bolt said it would complement the Irish rules – which also set motor power and speed limits – with other safety features including “cognitive reaction testing” to prevent drunk riding, and GPS limits to implement no-go and slow zones. It said it would recommend wearing a helmet and “using cycle lanes where available”.

The Department of Transport said shared mobility schemes, including for e-scooters, were in line with government policy on sustainable transport. It says it has provided guidance to councils to assist them in developing scooter sharing systems, and in particular on how to do so “in a safe manner”.