As of Friday, there is a ban on taking electric scooters and electric bikes onto public transport in Mallorca. The prohibition for an initial six-month period therefore applies to buses, trains and the Metro. Palma buses already have a ban.
The Balearic ministry of mobility has adopted this measure on safety grounds. There have been cases of fires resulting from the explosion of batteries.
The ministry says that the effectiveness of the measure will be assessed over the six months as will be manufacturers' efforts to introduce fireproof packaging and to prevent batteries from exploding. The ministry adds, though, that where manufacturers have made improvements, it is not possible to readily identify these provisions.
Non-electric bicycles and scooters can still be taken onto buses and trains, but they must be folded and not take up additional spaces. Wheelchairs and vehicles for people with reduced mobility that have electrical components are unaffected.
The ban is also on taking electric bikes and scooters into the Intermodal station in Palma. As this is underground, there is an increased risk because of potential fires.
On Palma buses, the ban is said not to have caused any obvious problems. As well as the fire risk, the EMT bus company took into account storage areas on buses and the fact that passenger mobility inside buses was being impacted.