Münster (dpa / lnw) - In the dispute over the use of e-scooters, the major providers have appealed to the North Rhine-Westphalian Higher Administrative Court. In January 2023, the Cologne Administrative Court dismissed four lawsuits brought by the companies VOI-Technology Germany GmbH, Bolt, TIER and Lime Bike, but allowed an appeal to the OVG in Münster because of the fundamental importance. "It is not yet certain when the 11th Senate will decide," said a spokeswoman for the court of the dpa news agency.
There are many municipalities in NRW arguing about the e-scooters. The cities often only allow operation with special usage concepts. The city of Cologne, for example, decided in the summer of 2022 that rental companies would have to pay 85 to 130 euros per scooter and year. She sent notices of up to 450,000 euros. The providers see their business model in danger and complain about arbitrariness in the fees.
The administrative court in Cologne saw no problem with the rules that had been drawn up. The lower court upheld the city's view. "The fees take into account the fact that the rental systems repeatedly lead to obstructions on footpaths and cycle paths due to e-scooters that are not parked properly," the court said in a statement.
In addition, according to the court, both bike and car sharing offers make a greater contribution to reducing individual car traffic than e-scooters. "The fees also do not mean that any form of e-scooter rental becomes uneconomical," the court of first instance ruled.
