Regulators to limit e-scooter operations in Jakarta after fatal collision

The DKI Jakarta’s Transportation Agency will set a regulation to limit the use of e-scooters in the capital city of Indonesia, following an accident on Monday, where two 18-year-old users of Grab’s e-scooter line GrabWheels died after being hit by a car near the FX Sudirman area in Central Jakarta, local media The Jakarta Post reported.

Photo credit: Grab

According to the new regulations, the use of e-scooters will only be allowed on the bicycle lane and will be prohibited on crossing roads for motorized vehicles. E-scooters will also be banned from sidewalks, pedestrian bridges, and car-free day areas. Regulators are also reviewing e-scooter’s operational time limitations in the city.

“I am currently finalizing the new rules. So later, GrabWheels’ users will be only able to use the bicycle lane when on the main road,” head of the Jakarta Transportation Agency Syafrin Liputo told local media on Wednesday.

The regulation is expected to be completed in December, but the operational time is being reviewed. The new rules will be enforced for the safety of e-scooter users, regulators said.

TJ Tham, CEO of e-scooter sharing service GrabWheels, told KrAsia that Grab Indonesia will support the victim’s families and will work to improve the safety of its users.

“We have contacted the victims’ family and our priority is to provide full support and assistance needed by the victims and their families. Grab is committed to continuously improving the safety of GrabWheels through educating our users and working with related parties,” Tham said in the statement.

The victims have been identified as Wisnu and Ammar, who rented three e-scooters near FX Sudirman mall in Jakarta together with four friends, who were also harmed in the collision, The Jakarta Post informed.

In Singapore, a 20-years-old e-scooter rider was charged for causing the death of a 65-year-old woman also on Monday. E-scooters were banned from footpaths in the city-state from November 5, with offenders facing fines of up to S$2,000 (US$1,467) and the risk of imprisonment for up to three months from 2020.

This report was first published on KrAsia.