Yekaterinburg cracks down on scooter-sharing after surge in accidents

Yekaterinburg has introduced stricter rules for scooter-sharing after a sharp rise in accidents. In the first month of the season alone, 134 people were injured across Sverdlovsk Oblast—more than in the entire previous year. Authorities are now looking to other cities for ways to improve safety.

The city has banned scooter traffic in central areas, including streets such as Vaynera, Anton Valek, and Gorky. Officials explained that shared scooter companies had refused to voluntarily restrict movement in these zones, forcing the government to act. The no-ride list has now grown to 22 locations across Yekaterinburg.

Police are enforcing the new restrictions, with fines of 750 rubles for violators. The crackdown follows worrying data: among 40 children hospitalised after scooter accidents, 39 had been riding e-scooters themselves. To strengthen regulations, Yekaterinburg is studying the approaches of St. Petersburg and Perm. By 2026, the city plans to adopt Chelyabinsk Oblast’s model, which imposes some of Russia’s toughest scooter-sharing rules. In 2025, Chelyabinsk authorities seized over 1,500 personal mobility devices for violations.

The new measures aim to reduce injuries and improve safety in high-risk areas. With stricter enforcement and expanded no-ride zones, Yekaterinburg hopes to bring accident numbers down. The city’s future regulations will closely follow Chelyabinsk’s proven system.