Media outlets report that at least one major kicksharing service recorded tens of thousands of instances where minors used electric scooters but allegedly failed to block their accounts. However, market participants deny these claims, and Moscow authorities, on the contrary, note a significant reduction in accidents involving teenagers.
Photo: Ivan Vysochinsky/TASS
The newspaper «Kommersant» sharply criticizes kicksharing services, accusing them of almost deliberately encouraging teenagers to use electric scooters. The publication refers to internal statistics from «one of the leading» operators, which supposedly revealed over 50,000 trips made by minors. It is alleged that the unnamed service did not block these accounts, a decision attributed by sources to «economic gain and the difficulty of verifying blockages.»
These accusations are supported by statements from various authorities. The St. Petersburg Interior Ministry stated that most fatal scooter accidents involve minors, while the Blagoveshchensk city administration, where kicksharing was recently banned, claims that up to 70% of e-scooter users in the city were teenagers. Representative of MTS Urent`s press service, Yulia Lebedeva, offers a counter-argument:
Some of «Kommersant`s» assertions contradict official statistics. For instance, according to the 2023 report by the Interior Ministry`s Scientific Center for Road Safety, only one-third of accidents involving personal mobility devices (PMDs) involved teenagers, and only 16% of victims in such accidents were minors. These figures are difficult to reconcile with the data cited for Blagoveshchensk. Moreover, the Moscow Department of Transport reported in mid-July that the number of PMD-related accidents in the capital decreased by 60% this year, and accidents involving injured teenagers halved.
Commenting on whether authorities and operators are doing enough, Dmitry Popov, an expert from the government`s working group on road safety legislation, shared his perspective:
Dmitry Popov
Expert, Government Working Group on Road Safety Legislation
«For example, in St. Petersburg, the transport committee has developed a video analytics module. This software product allows processing video from city surveillance cameras to identify users riding in pairs and those who do not dismount at pedestrian crossings. I believe that after this, the effectiveness of the work will be much higher. We still need to consider how to fine, because the fine established in legislation under Article 12.29 of the Administrative Offenses Code is microscopic – 800 rubles. This is not a very serious matter. In Moscow, the number of such offenders has decreased because Moscow has already experienced authentication through mos.ru. That system has its flaws, but at least it requires this authentication. In St. Petersburg, this module is still being developed. As soon as this authentication goes through, we will immediately see a reduction.»
According to traffic rules, PMDs can be ridden: by children up to seven years old, accompanied by an adult; by children up to 14 years old, only on sidewalks; and from 14 years old, also on roads with a 60 km/h speed limit if no sidewalk is available. Kicksharing age requirements vary by region and operator: Moscow mandates Mos ID (18+), and most services have voluntarily introduced an 18+ restriction in other regions, though Whoosh permits rentals to 16-year-olds (at reduced speed).
The seriousness of the services` intentions is underscored by their own fine policies. For example, Yandex Go`s rules impose a 3,000 ruble fine for two adults riding one scooter, but a 100,000 ruble fine for riding with a minor or transferring control to a teenager. This fact further questions the notion of deliberate concealment: why would an operator risk a 100,000 ruble penalty for a 300 ruble ride from a teenager?
Yulia Lebedeva
MTS Urent Press Service Representative
«We cannot confirm the data in the article as the source is unclear to us. Moreover, we responsibly state that we identify and block underage accounts in our application, and to our knowledge, all `big three` operators do the same. We have several tools for this. In Moscow, it`s Mos ID, meaning only those who confirm their account on mos.ru can use scooters in the capital. The second tool is MTS ID. When logging into the app with it, Urent receives data on the account holder`s age, and if they are under 18, the account is also blocked. Underage violators often use accounts of parents or older friends. In such cases, we can identify them, for example, during joint raids with the traffic police or through information from concerned citizens via our bot. When we can 100% confirm the rider`s age, we naturally block them immediately.»