I know that the topic of e-scooters is on the minds of many citizens," says Frankfurt's head of mobility, Stefan Majer.

The driving style of the users causes excitement and again and again the fact that the scooters are parked anywhere, almost thrown over.

"We are now doing a lot to integrate the e-scooter as a means of transport in a way that is compatible with the city," Majer told the city councilors in the mobility committee.

But it is "hard work" to "domesticate" the users.

After all, three years ago, in the summer of 2019, the Federal Minister of Transport at the time, Andreas Scheuer, “approved the e-scooters without regulating anything”.

Introducing guidelines now is “a tour de force for the city administration”.

Since the beginning of April, Frankfurt - like other major cities - has required a special use permit from the rental companies for each e-scooter.

The only requirement: In the extended inner city area, an operator may offer a maximum of 1000 scooters in agreed spaces.

There are currently five providers.

The special use permit ends on October 4th, the extensions must be applied for now.

Majer is currently checking whether the number of approved e-scooters needs to be reduced.

It is about the 5000 pieces in the extended city center - this includes the urban area within the Alleenring as well as Museumsufer, Leipziger and Berger Strasse.

The total number of electric scooters in Frankfurt is also enormous: there are currently 18,000 approved e-scooters.

As the department reports, the topic should be addressed at a round table with the operators.

Prohibited zones and parking spaces

With the introduction of the special use permit this spring, the city also made specifications as to where the scooters may be parked.

The prohibited zones include the pedestrian zones, Main bridges, generally all road bridges, parks and green areas, forest areas and also landscape protection areas such as the green belt, playgrounds, cemeteries and all green areas on the streets as well as tree pits.

At the same time, the traffic department has started to designate parking spaces for the e-scooters.

Initially, the road traffic office concentrated on the streets around the Zeil.

There are now parking spaces on Berliner Strasse, Schäfergasse and Brönnerstrasse.

According to Majer, others have been commissioned on Stephanstrasse, Große Eschenheimer, Biebergasse and Stiftstrasse.

Some are being planned on Grosse Friedberger Straße, Tönges-, Hasen- and Ziegelgasse as well as on the Kleinmarkthalle.

The whole of the city center and the train station district are to follow next, then the parts of the city where many people walk.

Majer wants the local transport company Traffiq to set up mobility stations at bus stops.

City tests control software

Despite prohibited zones and the first parking areas, the city is finding that many e-scooter users are not following the rules.

It needs controls.

The city has therefore been testing software since June that shows exactly where the scooters are located, whether the parking spaces are being used, where scooters are in prohibited zones and whether the number of 5000 e-scooters in the inner city area is exceeded.

Verena Theil from the Office for Road Construction and Development explained the software and procedure to the city councillors.

So far it has been shown that the existing parking spaces are used, but many users ignore the bans.

The number of scooters and data on where they are would be sent to the providers with a request to clear the scooters away.

If they didn't react

Collective reports including fines would be sent to the operators.

If they were cooperative, that would help the city with the current decision on who would receive a special use permit for their e-scooters in the future.