Valdo Põder, Head of the Tallinn City Police Law Enforcement Department, has confirmed that a surveillance procedure was initiated against Ride Mobility on the 11th of November, ERR News reports.
The procedure was initiated based on the Estonian Road Traffic Act and aims to investigate possible violations of Tallinn City Regulations on Business Requirements for Rental Vehicles.
Section 4 of the Act sets out restrictions on the use of rental vehicles in certain places and times. Subsection 4 states that within a ten-meter radius of public transport stops, the maximum permitted speed is between ten and 25 kilometers per hour. Põder noted that
since the investigation is ongoing, the police cannot disclose further details for the time being.
At the end of March, the media outlet Delfi Ärileht reported that almost a hundred electric mopeds from the Latvian company Ride Mobility had appeared on the streets of Tallinn, marking a new chapter in urban micromobility. They can be rented by riders over 18 years old and have a maximum speed of 25 kilometers per hour. At the time, Tallinn Mayor Kristjan Järvan pointed out that the current regulations do not allow the city to limit the number of rental electric scooters, mopeds or bicycles in the city.
An age verification tool has been introduced in Latvia, but Ride Mobility rental vehicles are currently not available, pending the conclusion of the Consumer Rights Protection Center. This follows a tragic accident in which two teenagers died while using a Ride Mobility electric moped, which was hit by a train.
Read also: Consumer Rights Centre fines Ride with 10,000 euros for continuing services in early October