Seoul to rate shared e-scooter operators and publish results from January
Version 2: Dong-A Ilbo's coverage adds that Seoul already has 481 PM parking zones and that the amended ordinance makes their installation and operation basis explicit.
In short
Seoul said it will evaluate how well shared e-scooter and other personal mobility device (PM) rental operators manage their fleets and publish the results, under an ordinance amendment promulgated on October 1 and effective January 1. The city will also set up designated parking zones in consultation with district offices and the Seoul Police Agency and build an ICT-based management system, expanding its approach beyond towing illegally parked devices and kickboard-free streets. A business outlet reports the ordinance also clarifies the legal basis for the 481 PM parking zones already installed across the city.
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Seoul will evaluate how well each shared e-scooter and other personal mobility device (PM) rental operator manages its fleet and will publish the results, the city said on October 5. The measure is contained in an amendment to the Seoul Metropolitan Government Personal Mobility Device Use Safety Promotion Ordinance, promulgated on October 1 and taking effect on January 1, according to the city. Under the amendment, Seoul can assess operators' device management and use the findings to tighten supervision. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Evaluation items include the number of complaints about illegal parking and abandonment, the time needed to move or collect abandoned devices, the number of safety accidents and citizen satisfaction, Yonhap and Dong-A Ilbo reported. Results will be disclosed or used in related policy, and operators found to be managing poorly will be recommended to improve. Yonhap described this as a basis for looking at management levels by company, beyond the towing of individual illegally parked devices. [ 1 , 3 ]
The ordinance allows the city to install and operate designated parking zones, and Dong-A Ilbo reported it also clarifies the legal basis for the 481 PM parking zones currently installed across Seoul. Zones will be created first where use is heavy or where parking order needs to be established, in consultation with district offices and the Seoul Police Agency, according to Yonhap and Seoul Economic Daily. Rental companies will be advised to guide users to the designated zones and to take the necessary technical measures. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Under the amendment, the city's PM surveys will include abandonment and areas where devices are repeatedly or densely left, and the city and district offices will share management information such as citizen reports and the status of moving and collecting devices. When a device obstructs pedestrians' safety or passage, the rental operator will be asked to move it quickly. Seoul will also build and operate an information and communications technology-based management system for preventing abandonment and for safety management, the reports said. [ 1 , 2 ]
Seoul has tightened regulation of shared kickboards in stages. In 2021 it introduced the country's first towing system for illegally parked shared e-scooters, covering devices left on roads, at subway station entrances, bus stops, tactile paving and crosswalk approaches, with a 40,000 won towing fee and a storage fee of 700 won per 30 minutes. This year it expanded so-called kickboard-free streets, adding the Daechi-dong academy district, the Wirye Transit Mall pedestrian path and Yeonsinnae Rodeo Street to the existing Hongdae Red Road and Banpo academy district, for five locations in operation since September 30. In a survey of 500 users of the pilot zones, 80.4 percent said they had noticed a decrease in abandonment and 77.2 percent said collision risk had fallen, according to the city. [ 1 ]
Seoul Economic Daily reported that complaints related to shared e-scooters are expected to fall significantly as a result of the measures, and quoted a city official as saying the amendment widens PM management from towing and traffic restrictions to designated parking, management of chronic abandonment areas, operator evaluation and an information system. The same statement was carried by Yonhap. [ 1 , 2 ]
Why it matters
The amendment moves Seoul's regulation of shared e-scooters from towing and street bans toward operator-level evaluation and disclosure, putting rental companies' management records in public view. Seoul introduced towing of illegally parked shared devices in 2021, and the new framework gives the city a standing basis to rate operators, which may serve as a reference for other local governments. The practical effect depends on details the documents do not provide, such as penalties and the pace of new parking zones.
Key facts
- Seoul said the amendment to the Seoul Metropolitan Government Personal Mobility Device Use Safety Promotion Ordinance was promulgated on October 1 and takes effect on January 1. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The city will evaluate rental operators' device management and disclose the results or use them in related policy; operators with insufficient management will be recommended to improve. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Evaluation items include complaints about illegal parking and abandonment, the time needed to move or collect abandoned devices, safety accidents and citizen satisfaction. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Designated parking zones will be installed, prioritising high-use areas and locations needing parking order, in consultation with district offices and the Seoul Police Agency. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The ordinance clarifies the installation and operation basis for the 481 PM parking zones currently installed across Seoul, according to Dong-A Ilbo. [ 3 ]
- Seoul will build and operate an ICT-based management system for preventing abandonment and managing safety, and will share management information between the city and districts. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Since 2021 the city has towed illegally parked shared e-scooters, charging a towing fee of 40,000 won and a storage fee of 700 won per 30 minutes. [ 1 ]
- The city has expanded kickboard-free streets to five locations, adding the Daechi-dong academy district, the Wirye Transit Mall pedestrian path and Yeonsinnae Rodeo Street to the existing Hongdae Red Road and Banpo academy district, effective September 30. [ 1 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The ordinance amendment was promulgated on October 1 and takes effect on January 1. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Seoul will evaluate rental operators' management of personal mobility devices and publicly disclose the results. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Designated parking zones will be installed in consultation with district offices and the Seoul Police Agency, centred on high-use areas. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Operators with insufficient management will be recommended to make improvements. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- An ICT-based management system will be built for preventing abandonment and managing safety, and operators will be asked to move devices quickly when they obstruct pedestrians. [ 1 , 2 ]
Still unclear
- Whether operators rated as poorly managed face penalties or sanctions beyond a recommendation to improve. The documents mention evaluation, disclosure, policy use and recommendations, but none describes fines or other sanctions.
- How many new designated parking zones will be created and on what schedule. Documents 1 and 2 say zones will be installed in high-use areas in consultation with related bodies but give no number or timetable; document 3 cites only the 481 zones already in place.
- Whether the rules also cover privately owned e-scooters rather than only rental fleets. The ordinance title refers to personal mobility devices generally, while the measures described are aimed at rental operators.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Kickboard-free streets expanded to five locations, effective September 30. [ 1 ]
- The amended ordinance was promulgated on October 1. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Yonhap reports the ordinance amendment and the city's plans. [ 1 ]
- Seoul Economic Daily reports the same measures, quoting a Seoul city official. [ 2 ]
- Dong-A Ilbo reports the evaluation plan and the 481 existing PM parking zones. [ 3 ]