Electric scooters and electric bikes are parked on a sidewalk near a university in Dalseo District, Daegu, on March 30.NEWS1
With personal mobility devices such as electric scooters and electric bikes frequently posing risks to pedestrians, the Seoul Metropolitan Government will evaluate rental operators on how they manage their fleets and make the results public in an effort to address shared electric scooters left unattended on streets.
โA revision to the Seoul ordinance on promoting the safe use of mobility devices was promulgated on Oct. 1,โ the city announced Monday. The revised ordinance will take effect on Jan. 1 of next year.
The revision strengthens the management responsibilities of rental operators of devices such as electric scooters. Operators will be assessed on factors including the number of complaints involving illegal parking and abandoned devices, the time taken to relocate or collect unattended devices, the number of safety accidents and public satisfaction.
The results may be made public or used to shape future policies. Operators found to have inadequate management practices may be advised to make improvements.
The measure expands the cityโs approach beyond simply towing illegally parked devices by establishing a basis for evaluating how effectively each rental operator manages its equipment.
The revised ordinance also formally establishes designated parking areas. It allows the city to install and operate designated parking zones to promote orderly use and pedestrian safety.
Such zones will be installed first in areas with heavy mobility device use or where stricter parking controls are needed, in consultation with district offices, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and other relevant authorities.
Electric scooters are parked near a train station in downtown Seoul on Nov. 19, 2024.NEWS1
Rental operators will also be advised to guide users to designated parking areas and introduce necessary technical measures to encourage their use.
Oversight of unattended devices will also be strengthened. Electric scooters left in the middle of roads or sidewalks have drawn complaints for obstructing pedestrians and posing accident risks.
Under the revised ordinance, the city will be able to require rental operators to quickly relocate unattended devices.
Surveys will also cover the prevalence of abandoned devices and areas where they are repeatedly or heavily concentrated. The city and district offices will share management data, including reports filed by residents and records of devices being relocated or collected.
The city will also establish and operate an ICT-based management system to prevent devices from being left unattended and improve safety management.
Seoul introduced the countryโs first towing system for illegally parked electric scooters in 2021. Devices can be towed when they are left on roadways, near subway station entrances or bus stops, on tactile paving or at entrances to crosswalks.
Operators are charged a towing fee of 40,000 won ($30) and a storage fee of 700 won for every 30 minutes.
A sign is installed on Hongdae Red Road in Mapo District, western Seoul, on May 15, 2025, a day before the area was designated a scooter-free street.YONHAP
The city also operates scooter-free streets. Hongdae Red Road in Mapo District, western Seoul, and an area packed with cram schools in Banpo-dong in Seocho District, southern Seoul, were designated electric scooter-free areas last year.
This year, the city added an area with private academies in Daechi-dong in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, the pedestrian walkway at Wirye Transit Mall in Songpa District, southern Seoul, and Yeonsinnae Rodeo Street in Eunpyeong District, northern Seoul.
โWith this ordinance revision, Seoulโs approach to managing devices, which had focused on towing and traffic restrictions, has expanded to include designated parking, management of areas where devices are repeatedly abandoned, evaluations of companies and the establishment of an information system,โ a Seoul city official said.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
