April 20, 2024
Startups
Kickboards to be allowed to run on bike roads
E-scooters will be allowed on bike roads in South Korea, opening up opportunities for last-mile mobility startups, according to the Presidential Committee on the Fourth Industrial Revolution on March 18.
After a two-day marathon discussion, the committee, comprising industry experts and government officials, decided to allow kickboards and other personal mobility equipment to run on bike roads at a speed lower than 25 kilometers an hour. Currently, personal mobility equipment can only be used on car roads by users with a driver license.
The committee also reached an agreement to discard the requirement for e-scooter riders to hold a driver’s license.
E-scooter and e-bikes are gaining popularity worldwide. Mobility firm Uber Technologies has acquired e-bike sharing firm Jump and e-scooter rental company Lime. In Korea, Kakao Mobility and SoCar announced forays into the micro-mobility segment earlier this month.
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Chang Byung-gyu, chairman of the Presidential Committee on the Fourth Industrial Revolution, announces results of its decisions on March 18. |
Related:
Micro-mobility market gains traction with e-bike push by Kakao Mobility, SoCar
While the popularity of personal mobility is growing, there is no related law. The committee said it will continue to work to set up some rules for personal mobility so as to prevent any illegal use and accidents.
The decision made by the committee is not legally binding but experts see it is likely to be made into legislation without much obstacles as the agreement was established among different interest groups.
But it would take some time until the law is finalized. “We will make it into a law after completing safety research and negotiations among different departments by the second half of the year,” said an official at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
Established in October 2017, the committee coordinates important policy matters regarding upgrading Korea’s competitiveness in futuristic technologies such as artificial intelligence, data processing and robotics.
By Park Ga-young (gypark@heraldcorp.com)
