E-Scooter Use Surging in Germany Thanks to Private Demand, Rather Than Rental Fleets
Growth in e-scooter use in Germany is powering ahead thanks to private demand rather than the rental fleets that first drove their popularity, as operators like Lime and Bolt grapple with increasingly unfavorable business conditions.
Last year, more than 80% of e-scooters in Europe’s biggest economy were privately owned, according to data published Monday by the GDV German Insurance Association. The number of rental scooters declined by about 10% last year, while the fleet of privately owned units surged again and has almost tripled in size over the past four years.
A combination of rising costs for riders, increasing incidents of scooter damage and tighter regulations, including a host of city bans, has made conditions considerably more difficult for rental providers in recent years.
Industry pioneer Bird Global Inc., founded by a former Uber Technologies Inc. executive, filed for bankruptcy in late 2023, while the following year Tier Mobility SE spent months hunting for emergency funding before merging with rival Dott. An IPO last month by the operator of Lime e-scooters and bikes was a rare bright spot.
Berlin hasn’t followed other major European capitals in outlawing e-scooters despite backlash from some residents. Paris banned them in 2023, Madrid followed in 2024, and Brussels has agreed on a ban that will go into effect next year.
Meanwhile, accidents involving e-scooters increased by nearly 40% in Germany last year to 16,496, with about half of them occurring in major cities, according to the country’s statistics office.
In May, lawmakers proposed new rules that would make it easier to hold e-scooter providers liable, which the GDV said would provide enhanced protection for accident victims.
“It would therefore be an important contribution to greater safety and better compensation after accidents,” said Anja Käfer-Rohrbach, a GDV deputy managing director.
Copyright 2026 Bloomberg.
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