Electric scooter regulations in chaos in Hungary: here is a rundown of certainties to ensure safe travel

They whizz by on roads, or roll along on the pavement, with or without knee pads and helmets, with two passengers or just one: today, electric scooters are a common sight on the streets of big cities. Budapest is no different. Yet, as widespread as this form of transport has become, there are still many misconceptions about the rules governing its use, which are, in many cases, not at all clear.

Rtl.hu spoke to Írisz Zsófia Sáfrány, a legal expert at Jog365, to collect the most important rules concerning electric scooters in Hungary. As the site writes, although electric scooters have become a permanent fixture on roads in the last 10 years or so, there is still a lot of controversy surrounding their presence in traffic.

Despite being a fast, cost-efficient, and simple way of transport, the electric scooter “has become a common enemy of the often warring pedestrian-cyclist-driver groups,” rtl.hu writes. The main source of conflict is that each side feels that scooters often do not follow the rules of the Highway Code properly.

However, unfortunately, the situation is not so simple. The problem is that although more than 60,000 scooters have been in use on Hungarian roads for years, their regulation still leaves much to be desired. As rtl.hu points out, the rapid development of technology has challenged legislators, who, it seems, have not yet been able to respond adequately to this – increasingly pressing, and nowadays not so novel – challenge.

Currently, a statement from the Minister of Interior regulates electric scooters – or does it?

Electric scooters are currently not part of the Highway Code, and as such, there is no specific vehicle category in Hungary that covers this means of transport. In 2019, Minister of Interior Sándor Pintér, in response to a question from a member of parliament, said that scooters should be treated as mopeds until there is separate legislation created to regulate them. This position was later confirmed by the National Police Headquarters.

Then, in accordance with the rules regarding mopeds, scooters cannot be ridden on pavements and may travel on cycle paths only outside residential areas. The use of a helmet and a valid driving licence are compulsory for regular scooter riding.

However, the position of the Minister of the Interior does not constitute legislation. Moreover, this categorisation of electric scooters as mopeds is also disputed under the Highway Code, according to which any vehicle falls under the category of a “bicycle” that has at least two wheels, is driven by human power, and is assisted by a motor with a power of up to 300 kW.

Therefore, certain electric scooters with lower power capabilities might be categorised as bicycles and subjected to the rules made for cyclists. For this reason, as the Teszt Plussz Magazine points out, it is largely up to the police officers how lenient they are with people regarding regulations when they ride an electric scooter.

There are two important rules to be aware of

Regardless of the lack of regulation, there are cases where the rules to follow are clear.

First of all, drunk driving on an electric scooter is strictly forbidden. The Curia has taken a clear position on this, pointing out that electric scooters are undoubtedly mechanically propelled vehicles and therefore it is prohibited to drive them under the influence of alcohol. If someone drives an electric scooter while drunk, they are to face the same legal consequences as if they had driven a motorbike or a car while under the influence.

The second case, which is less direct but still important to be aware of, concerns public transport. Generally speaking, if the electric scooter can be folded up and its transport does not endanger the valuables of other passengers (for example, it does not dirty others’ clothes), it can be taken on public transport. If the electric scooter does not fold, it is usually treated the same way as a bicycle and requires a ticket.

However, it is always worth checking the conditions of the service provider. On BKK services, for example, this is stated in the conditions of use:

“Each passenger is entitled to carry either of the following items free of charge: up to two pieces of hand luggage of a size not exceeding 40x50x80cm or 20x20x200cm; […] The transportation of bicycles is conditional upon payment and is allowed only on the suburban railway and the cogwheel railway.”

The conditions of MÁV include the following: “’A passenger may carry a maximum of 2 pieces of hand luggage not exceeding 40x50x80 cm or 2 pieces of hand luggage not exceeding 20x20x200 cm; or in addition to 1 piece of hand luggage […] a small bicycle, a folding bicycle […] free of charge. […] One oversized item larger than the above but not exceeding 100x100x200 cm may be carried in the area marked with a pictogram on the trolleybus, subject to payment of a fee. […] One bicycle per passenger may also be carried in the designated area on the HÉV and on the HÉV replacement bus marked with a pictogram, subject to payment of a fee.”

What changes in laws can we expect in the future?

As DNH reported on it very recently, from mid-July, all non-human powered vehicles capable of exceeding 25 km/h will be required to be covered by insurance.

The speed limit of 25 km/h is likely to be an important number when it comes to future regulations, too. As rtl.hu points out, several statements have already been published that would link the amendment of the Highway Code to this speed: slower vehicles would be included in the bicycle category and faster ones in the moped category.

However, the future of the new regulations is uncertain: the amendment to the Highway Code was originally promised to come into effect last year, but to date, it has not been implemented.

Read also:

• VIDEO: Electric scooter was left on charger, apartment building burnt down in Hungary
• The most picturesque e-scooter and bicycle routes in Budapest

Source: RTL