Nearly Half of Almaty's E-Scooters Towed to Impound Lots

More than 11,000 electric scooters have been moved to impound lots in Almaty, according to Yerzhan Dikhanbayev, head of the city's Passenger Transport and Road Infrastructure Management Department.

According to the official, four kick-sharing services launched their operations on city streets starting March 27. Out of the total 22,500 scooters deployed across Almaty, nearly half have already been impounded due to various violations.

City authorities stated that e-scooters remain a significant challenge for road safety and traffic management. Monitoring their speed has proven particularly difficult. Furthermore, inaccuracies in GPS systems - with margins of error up to 30 meters - prevent precise tracking of devices and the effective enforcement of restricted zones.

The Almaty Akimat plans to significantly tighten regulations for the kick-sharing industry in 2026. To address these issues, the following measures are planned:

• The installation of approximately 5,000 designated parking spots for scooters.

• The construction of 55 kilometers of new bike lanes.

• The launch of a Telegram bot allowing residents to report e-scooter violations directly to the authorities.