Mystery: why don’t you have shared scooters in Leiden?

If you come to another city as a resident of Leiden, you have probably noticed the shared scooters there. You will find them not only in big cities such as The Hague, Rotterdam and Amsterdam, but even in Apeldoorn, Krimpen aan den IJssel and Loon op Zand. We have often received the question why Leiden doesn’t have them. That’s why the nearby research team got back to work for you.

How handy if you could sometimes take a shared scooter in addition to the bus, which you unlock with an app. No need to wait for that bus or sweat a bike, just get on and off quickly on an electric scooter. Companies like GO SHARING and Felyx already offer this concept in many cities, but not in the key city. It is because the municipality is now shutting it down.

Small space

The municipality of Leiden likes the idea of ​​sharing means of transport. It is clean and durable. This is why you will find shared cars at various places in the city. The municipality explains why the shared scooter fits a little less into the picture: “In a historic city (center) like Leiden, space is scarce. We are careful there in Leiden. For example, there must be enough space for cyclists, pedestrians and public transport. But also for things like loading and unloading, disabled parking spaces and of course for greenery, housing and water. Because the user can place a shared scooter anywhere they want, it takes up a large part of the public space.

You can also cycle

In addition, a large portion of shared scooter users in other cities used cycling and / or public transport for the same trip. These are all reasons why the municipality is careful with suppliers of shared scooters. Offering shared scooters is therefore not authorized in Leiden at the moment.

And in the future?

This does not mean that there will never be shared scooters in Leiden. “But the municipality is studying how, where and under what conditions the shared scooter can be used in the city. We believe that the shared scooter should not take over from cycling or public transport and should not cause any nuisance in public spaces. Until then we’ll have fun with our trusted bikes in Leiden. Well, at least it’s healthy.