eScooter and eBike Hire in Malaga

eScooter and eBike Hire in Malaga

peddle assisted eBike and escooter

A pay per ride peddle assisted eBike and eScooter hire was introduced in Malaga city in 2018. There were said to be 1.500 vehicles with half a dozen providers. The situation became chaotic and the Town Hall introduced reglations in April 2019 regarding the parking of scooters an the use in the old city centre area.

The town hall requires that eBike hire companies apply for a consessions every year. Currently companies Dott, Voi, Link, Bird, Bolt and Tier are authoried to hire vehicles in Malaga. Many companies are also in Madrid and may other European cites. Lime was one of the first providers but in August 2021 withdrew its eScooters after the town Hall had begun process to cancel the authorisation for having more than the maximum 300 scooters on the streets.

Pick up and parking points

There were originally 28 pick up and parking points in the Malaga city in the 2019 regulations. Many are located around the perimeter of the pedestrianised old town and along the seafront promenade.

Below is the the original list. The eScooter companies jointly wrote to Malaga town hall in April 2022 to request more points which apear to have been made available. Theses are best identified on the Dott, Voi, Link, Bird, Bolt and Tier Apps which also indicate the number of eBikes and eScooters currently available at each parking location.

• Calle Pacífico, 85
• Calle Pacífico, (Glorieta Primero de Mayo)
• Calle Pacífico, 33 (Plaza José Martín Rando)
• Calle Pacífico, 15, in front of Tabacalera Building)
• Calle Pacífico, corner Glorieta Antonio Molina
• Paseo Antonio Machado, in front of Huelin Park
• Avenida Gregorio Prieto and Bulevar Louis Pasteur
• Avenida Jorge Luis Borges and Plaza Pintor Sandro Boticelli
• Avenida Doctor Manu el Domínguez and Plaza Willy Brandt
• Aenida Plutarco, 75 and Calle Eolo
• Calle Varadero, 13
• Calle Bolivia, 155 and Paseo de los Acacias
• Paseo Marítimo El Pedregal and Calle Almirante Enriquez
• Calle Banda del Mar 1 and Calle Mar
• Calle Banda del Mar, 139 and Avenida Salvador Allende
• Calle Mauricio Moro Pareto and Paseo de los Tilos
• Avenida de las Américas, 7 and Plaza de la Solidaridad
• Calle Héroe de Sostoa, 1 and Calle Ingeniero José María Garnica
• Calle Carretería and Calle Puerta Nueva
• Calle Carretería and Calle Nosquera
• Calle Victoria, 20
• Avenida Manuel Agustín Heredia and Calle San Lorenzo
• Calle Martínez Campos and Calle Tomás Heredia
• Calle Vendeja and Plaza Poeta Alfonso Canales
• Calle Cortina del Muelle
• Calle Cervantes, 8 and Calle Maestranza
• Paseo Marítimo Pablo Ruíz Picasso, 15 and Calle Gutenberg
• Paseo Marítimo Pablo Ruíz Picasso, 64 na corner of Calle Pérez Galdos

The bike may only be collected and deposited at the end of the ride in these specific 28 places. However it is possible to pause a ride; for a coffee or shop stop. The pause feature last up to 60min and disables the bike for other users but the ride charge continues.

Certain local areas are out of bounds, such as the pedestrianised city centre and the port. The vehicle's GPS will disable the bike in these areas. you will see private e-scooter cross the Malaga Historical Centre respecting pedestrian priority and not exceeding 10 km/h. You can ride along the coast as far east as El Çpalo district. Heading west alson the coast as far as River Guadalhorse estuary.

Legal aspects

The General Traffic Regulations set the maximum speed in residential areas at 10 kilometres per hour and 25 kilometres per hour on urban roads and crossings, with drivers having to give priority to pedestrians in all cases. Bike helmets are recommended but not obligitory on municipal roads in Spain. In March 2022, the reformed Traffic Law came into force, in its Article 47, established that Scooter users are obliged to wear a protective helmet "in the terms determined by regulation". To date the national regulations are not published and aparently discussions are onging with local councils. Local regulations would be considered valid for the purpose of this law. Insurance for Scooters is definately required; Dott eScooter and eBike hire includes insurance for Spain. Bikes and scooters are not permitted to be riden on pavements in Spain, only on the roads and in cycle lanes. In practice many Scooter riders do ride on pavements, so do so at risk of a local police fine. Only one person per scooter, no passengers. No animals as passengers and no luggage other than a small shoulder bag or rucksack. Driving a scooter using headset or a mobile phone.

How to use

To use the service, download and install the ‘Dott’ app and set up an account with a credit card or Pay Pal. The App has a map to advise of the user of the location of all available bikes and scooters and clearly marks the out of bounds areas.

The user simply scans the QR code on the vehicle with the app and within a few seconds a beep is heard to indicated the vehicle is unlocked. On completion of the journey, the vehicles must be parked in one of the 32 parking spaces. The user completes the end of ride page in the app and is asked to take and upload photo to demonstrate that the vehicles has been parked correctly.

Cost

The basic cost in Malaga is 0.33 € (33 cents) per minute which is 3.30€ for a ten minute ride. There is no unlock fee in Malaga.  There are pre-paid value passes available:

• 2 Rides Pass; for two rides of up to 30 mins in 24hrs for 3.99€.
• Dot Flex unlimited 30-min rides for 2.00€ each
• Dot Pass; unlimited 30-min rides at 1.00 each for 12.99 pass.

In all the above exceding the 30 mins will be charged at the normal rate, however it is posible to park the bike and collect another one.

Free first ride - Dott promo code

Sign up with Dott and get 1 free ride!
https://referral.ridedott.com/JFYW4RV
or enter promo code JFYW4RV under 'Promo's in the app.
By using this Dott offer Andalucia.com will also be given a free ride, which will help up explore Malaga and update the pages.