Plans to ban electric scooters in public transport after recent fire

Electric scooters could soon be temporarily banned from public transport after a fire caused injuries to three people in November. The board of directors of Barcelona's metropolitan area transport authority urged on Monday to forbid these vehicles in trains, metros, and buses. 

The goal of this "temporary suspension" is to study the use of electric scooters in public transport, as Marc Sanglas, transport secretary of the Catalan government, said during a press conference.

The accident back in November in a Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC) train in Sant Boi de Llobregat forced the rail network to be halted, passengers had to be evacuated, and the convoy removed from the tracks. 

Because of the fire in the Catalan government-operated railway company, "security" in public transport is "in doubt," the president of Barcelona's metropolitan transports (TMB), Laia Bonet, said.

"Temporarily, we have to decide that while we do not look for a compatibility solution, [bringing electric scooters into public transport] should not be allowed," she added.

"Our goal is to push forward compatibility among public transport, but with this accident, we now need to work together to see how we can avoid any incidents," she concluded.

Fares to remain the same

The idea of temporarily banning electric scooters in public transport was announced the same day that transport officials released 2023's ticket prices.

Next year will see fares remain at the same price as this year if a new financial aid is unveiled by the Spanish government.

The measure was also includes extending the ongoing inflation-related 20% discounts offered by the Catalan authority, which were expiring at the end of 2022.