Introducing a new micromobility license
The Technical Services Committee of the City of Espoo will decide on the introduction of a new micromobility licence on 19 November 2025. The legislative amendment made in summer 2025 requires cities to grant licenses to companies providing micromobility services in their area from the beginning of 2026 at the latest.
The license must be granted to all parties applying for it as long as they meet the criteria defined by legislation. The new license will provide Espoo with better opportunities for supervising and guiding the actions of service providers and service users. The law defines precisely what restrictions the city may impose on e-scooter rentals.
General restrictions ensure safety
Espoo and other cities in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area have restricted the use of ride-share e-scooters for years, based on voluntary agreements. For the most part, the essence of the restrictions will remain unchanged. The speed limit for e-scooters is 20 km/h in daytime and 15 km/h on weekday nights. On weekend nights and the May Day, e-scooters are banned from 00:00 to 05:00. The purpose of these restrictions is to prevent accidents.
“The most significant change affecting traffic safety is the per mille limit for micromobility that entered into force in the summer and the age limit that also applies to privately owned micromobility devices. Driving them while intoxicated and handing over an e-scooter to a person under the age of 15 are currently punishable acts,” says Pauliina Kuronen, City Transport Manager. “Driving on the pavement and having several people simultaneously on the same e-scooter have also been illegal before,” she continues. The city is concerned that Espoo residents are not yet informed of the legislative amendment and that the rules on micromobility are not sufficiently well-known.
Local restrictions in the busiest areas
In connection with the introduction of the micromobility licence, the city will publish updated local restrictions that include parking spots for e-scooters marked in the urban space as well as parking prohibition zones, usage prohibition zones and low-speed zones implemented with application control. The purpose of these restrictions is to guide the use of e-scooters, especially in areas where they are popular and their impacts on accessibility and traffic safety are the greatest.
Parking is guided especially in Matinkylä, Leppävaara, Tapiola and Otaniemi as well as in public transport hubs where the use of e-scooters is common. Approximately 150 new marked parking spots will be implemented for the next season. Application control is based on GPS technology. For example, in low-speed areas in urban centres, the e-scooter driver can drive at the maximum speed of 10 km/h because the e-scooter slows down by itself when entering a speed-limit zone.
In order to ensure the smooth running of winter maintenance, the city will determine an operating period for micromobility in the license terms, i.e., the time period when the services may be in operation.
Today, there are four companies providing e-scooter services in Espoo, with an average of 10,000 e-scooter trips a day.