why three operators seems to be the magic number for cities

Councillors in Stockholm, Sweden have voted to cut the number of shared e-scooters available for hire by almost half. Sweden, per capita has more shared escooters than any other European country.

Moving to just three operator licenses. This is inline with Transport for London's three operator Licenses. Lime, Dott and Tier.

From the beginning of 2022 the city will limit the number of shared e-scooters available to 12,000. Reducing it from around 23,000.

Each of the three operators will have a cap of 4,000 devices each.

While in September, the Finnish capital, Helsinki, imposed a weekend night-time ban on e-scooters and lowered their speed limit after a spate of accidents caused by drunken riders.

A hospital in Helsinki told Euronews Next at the time that it had been forced to hire an additional doctor to cope with the extra burden of scooter-related injuries.

A spokesperson for Sweden-based e-scooter company Voi told Euronews Next that driving while drunk was against the company's terms of service.

"We want to highlight for our users how it's very important for them to understand that alcohol and e-scooters are not a good match, you should never drive while you're intoxicated," she said.

Stockholm vice-mayor for transport Daniel Helldén told the TT news agency: “Electric scooters are used for 60,000 trips a day in Stockholm, so there is a need. This is not about removing them, it’s basically a smart mode of transport if users behave.”

TIER is one of the largest operators in Sweden and General Manager for the Nordics Lukas Samuelsson said the firm was supportive of the efforts to improve standards in the capital.

“We support the City of Stockholm making higher demands to improve safety and reduce street clutter,” he told Zag Daily, a E scooter blog.

“This is something TIER has been asking for and arguing for a long time. We need more people who, for example, take responsibility for the expansion of parking infrastructure and increased accessibility to enable a green transformation of Stockholm. Ultimately we hope that this can be a step towards a tender, as in Paris, London and New York, to make the selection process even more rigorous and ensure the highest standards in Stockholm, further driving sustainability, safety and innovation.”

The city will also charge companies a fee of around €140 per scooter, which it says is intended to encourage them to take better care of the electric vehicles (EVs).

Parking as become a real problem for the city. The choatic scences of shared e scooters cause trip hazards.

An 80-year-old cyclist in the city of Västerås died after crashing into a scooter that was left parked across a cycle route at the bottom of a hill.

“We welcomed the announcement this week by the city to regulate shared electric scooters and Voi has been pro-regulation since day one,” added Eric André, General Manager of Voi in Sweden.

“Putting a cap on the number of operators is something other cities around Europe have already done: this helps create the right conditions for competition and enables shared micromobility to develop in a way that is user-friendly and empowers the city’s residents instead of overwhelming public spaces.

However, there remain challenges around parking and traffic safety. Additional investments and commitment from operators are required to improve the management of shared e-scooters in Stockholm and in other cities. It’s good that Stockholm has found a legal way to demand that all e-scooter providers in the city can operate a high-quality service that contributes to increased safety and order.

“We hope, of course, that we will have the opportunity to continue offering our service in Stockholm next year. Our mission is to help create cities for living, free from congestion, noise and pollution by providing an alternative to private car journeys. We want to continue investing in our service and work tirelessly to create a safe and sustainable mobility service that enables car-free travel in Stockholm and other cities across Europe.”