Seongbuk-gu Shared Electric Scooter Towing Implemented

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Seongbuk-gu (District Mayor Lee Seung-ro) will begin towing illegally parked shared electric scooters on roads and sidewalks starting this August.

Currently, there are about 700 shared electric scooters operated by two companies in Seongbuk-gu (as of July 2021). While shared electric scooters provide convenience as a new mode of transportation for citizens, indiscriminate parking issues have been hindering the pedestrian environment and causing safety accidents, prompting Seongbuk-gu to take action against illegal parking by towing.

Seongbuk-gu plans to implement towing by distinguishing between immediate towing zones (5 zones) and 3-hour grace zones (general sidewalks). Immediate towing zones are five areas where the risk of accidents is high and pose significant threats to the passage of vulnerable road users; towing companies will tow scooters immediately upon discovery in these zones.

For the 3-hour grace zones (general sidewalks), considering their function as a 'First-Last mile' transportation means bridging gaps before and after public transit use, a 3-hour grace period will be granted to allow shared electric scooter companies to voluntarily respond upon receiving complaints. If the companies do not collect and relocate the scooters within the grace period, towing measures will be taken.

Seoul City and Seongbuk-gu operate a reporting website that allows citizens to easily report abandoned shared electric scooters and directly check the processing results. By accessing the website and scanning the QR code attached to the device, reporting can be done conveniently.

Reported cases are transmitted in real-time to the shared electric scooter companies to take actions such as collection and relocation. If no action is taken within 3 hours, the information is forwarded to towing companies for removal, and the results of these actions can be checked directly through the reporting website.

A Seongbuk-gu official stated, “With the implementation of shared electric scooter towing, we aim to foster a culture where shared scooter operators and users park properly, enabling autonomous control.”