Paris blazes a trail by bidding adieu to rental electric scooters

Paris will on Friday become the first European capital to ban floating electric scooters from its streets, leaving fans desolate but relieving those who loathed their "nuisance" factor.

Residents voted by almost 90% in an April referendum to ban the scooters — celebrated as a win for direct democracy by mayor Anne Hidalgo even though turnout was just 7.5%.

The ban applies to rental scooters, which have been offered by several operators since 2018, although people will still be able to whizz through Paris on privately owned vehicles.

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