Incheon Yeonsu-gu to Directly Tow Abandoned Shared Kickboards Starting Next Year

Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, will directly tow shared electric scooters that are left unattended.

The district announced on the 18th that starting next month, after a pilot guidance period, it will be the first basic local government in Incheon to directly tow illegally parked shared electric scooters from next year.

As the number of users of personal mobility devices (PM) such as shared electric scooters increases, unattended electric scooters have been causing residents' walking rights to be infringed and frequent safety accidents. In Yeonsu-gu, there are two companies operating shared electric scooter services, managing about 3,800 shared scooters in 100 designated PM parking zones within the area.

Electric scooter

However, due to insufficient regulations and infrastructure related to rental companies, the free-floating system has led to various problems such as unattended devices and a lack of public safety awareness, resulting in safety accidents.

Accordingly, Yeonsu-gu plans to operate a pilot guidance period starting next month, set towing zones, and from next year, when enforcement personnel and other conditions are prepared, directly enforce and tow unattended electric scooters. If rental companies fail to collect the scooters identified during enforcement within the grace period, towing will be carried out, and the rental companies will be charged a towing fee of 20,000 KRW and a storage fee of 1,000 KRW per 30 minutes.

In areas with high risk of accidents or that obstruct the passage of vulnerable road users (emergency towing zones) such as roadways, bicycle lanes, subway station entrances and exits, braille blocks, and elevator entrances for vulnerable users, towing will be carried out within 30 minutes after a warning. Additionally, electric scooters left in general towing zones such as regular sidewalks will be towed after a two-hour grace period.

Lee Jae-ho, the district mayor, said, "Ensuring a safe walking environment for residents is the top priority for convenient use of electric scooters," adding, "We will prepare various measures to create a safe and useful personal mobility device usage environment, including shared scooters."