Banning e-scooters from public transport is "completely inconsistent with the facts", a tech expert has claimed.
Public transport operators are prohibiting e-scooters "to help prevent the risk of combustion on board buses and trains", according to the National Transport Authority.
The NTA says this includes e-scooters that can be folded or carried.
The restriction will take effect from Monday and will apply to e-scooters but not e-bikes or mobility scooters.
The NTA says the guidance is because of "safety concerns in relation to many lithium-ion batteries which are commonplace in such devices."
"These batteries are known to develop internal faults leading to overheating and combustion."
A person rides an e-scooter in Dublin city, 20-8-20. Image: Sam Boal/Rollingnews.ieColin Baker of Back from the Future IT support told The Hard Shoulder the ban doesn't make sense.
"My biggest problem and bugbear is that this new ban on public transport is completely inconsistent with the facts," he said.
"They're still allowing e-bikes and their reason for forbidding e-scooters... is that the technology within e-scooters and e-bikes are different.
"I can tell you - not as a matter of opinion, but as a matter of fact - they are exactly the same.
"The motors, controllers and batteries that we use in CE approved scooters are exactly the same in most cases.
"Obviously there's different variations on the power, etc but they're exactly the same as any e-bikes and yet they're not forbidding or banning e-bikes."
'A total life hack'
Mr Baker said devices like e-scooters are needed to help people get around.
"For me it's a total life hack - it means that I can get that first and last mile of getting to the train station or the bus stop within a couple of minutes," he said.
"At the other end if it's a half hour walk or whatever - which often it is in Dublin - it just covers that."
Mr Baker said Dublin's public transport system means people need to rely on other modes of travel.
"I've got friends who, without the use of an e-scooter, would be coming from Tallaght to Dún Laoghaire [and] it's relatively close as the bird flies," he said.
"But if you're trying to use public transport from certain points in Dublin to other points, you could be looking at two hours for a 10-kilometre journey - or 25 minutes on an e-scooter."
'CE approved devices'
Mr Baker said there is an issue with unapproved devices.
"CE approved equipment is not the problem - most big brands and brands purchased for median prices from reputable retailers are absolutely CE approved," he said.
"Whereas things bought from unknown websites in far-flung locations for prices that don't seem viable or correct are not CE approved - even though they might have a lovely sticker underneath."
The 'CE' marking signifies products sold in the European Economic Area have been assessed to meet high safety, health and environmental protection requirements.
'Lobbying against e-scooters'
E-scooter user and investor David Maloney told the show he can't understand the ban.
"It seems as though there's some sort of lobbying or something against e-scooters that maybe we're not hearing about or something in the background," he said.
"It doesn't make sense, there's no dots being joined here.
"Everything about this green agenda - that's fine, let's all push for the green agenda - this is so much against it.
"The people I really feel sorry for here are students and people that are 18, 19, 20, 21."
Mr Moloney added that young people need scooters as it's "really hard" for them to get a full licence and a car.
The restriction applies from Monday October 7th on Dublin Bus, Bus Éireann, Go-Ahead Ireland, Iarnród Éireann, Luas and TFI Local Link.
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