Starting next week, anyone aged 18 or older will be able to rent a small moped weighing 50 kilograms and capable of reaching a maximum speed of 25 kilometers per hour for use in Tallinn. However, the city government is concerned because there are already more light vehicles in the city than necessary and no law currently prevents companies from expanding into the capital.

"We have approached the Ministry of Climate because local governments definitely need the right to impose limits. /.../ This issue has been considered for a long time and there was hope that the market would become saturated and a cap would be reached without additional intervention. But today, we find ourselves in a situation where we see that local governments should already have the authority to set these limits," said Deputy Mayor Kristjan Järvan (Isamaa).

The Latvian company Ride Mobility announced its expansion last summer, giving the city ample time to prepare. However, according to Deputy Mayor Kaarel Oja (SDE), the response has not been fast enough.

"My criticism is directed at internal communication within the city system. Yes, the Transport Department has known that a small moped rental service was interested in coming to Tallinn's streets, but that information only reached the municipal police a couple of weeks ago," Oja commented.

The city is only now beginning to discuss what restrictions will be placed on moped use.

"This raises the question of whether different rules should be introduced. I believe we should, especially considering that we are also facing the issue that, while electric scooters are allowed on sidewalks, small mopeds are not. Whether it is technically possible to restrict or prevent this is a complicated question. The general response is that it is not," Oja explained.

To prevent major disruptions in Tallinn's traffic, the city is considering placing prohibition signs for mopeds on mixed-use roads where cyclists and pedestrians share space.

Additionally, Tallinn plans to impose a stricter speed limit in high-traffic areas, such as the city center, where mopeds may be restricted to a maximum speed of 15 kilometers per hour — a lower limit than for electric scooters. The company, however, does not view this as a good solution.

"This would significantly impact the company because, of course, why would a customer choose our vehicle if it is slower? They would have to use it for longer and, as a result, pay more for the service," explained Ride Mobility CEO Edgars Jakobsons.

Pedestrians, for the most part, see the main concern as safety with the introduction of new vehicles.

"It seems a bit dangerous. If you're moving around on the street, I think traffic accidents could definitely happen," said Iida-Sofia.

"It doesn't bother me much. I ride a bike all the time myself, so this hasn't really been a problem for me," said Richard.

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