Japanese Electric Scooter Company Requires User Approval For Information On Violations From Police

JAKARTA - Electric scooter service providers in Japan will require users to allow police to share information on traffic violations with companies, as part of efforts to reduce accidents.

Based on a new policy that took effect late last month, users will not be able to use Luup Inc. electric scooters unless they agree to provide access first.

The company is currently only allowed to receive information from the police if the accident is serious or the offender agrees.

Under this policy, users can drive electric scooters at speeds of up to 20 kilometers per hour without a driver's license, while children under the age of 16 are prohibited from driving them, as reported by Kyodo News November 2.

Luup service allows users to pick up and rent electric scooters in designated places in big cities.

When this new rule comes into effect, the company will be able to receive information about the timing, location, types of accidents, and identification numbers of the vehicles involved, according to the Tokyo-based mobility company.

In January last year, Luup started a point system in which traffic violations above a certain threshold resulted in user suspension. However, the effectiveness of this self-declaration system is questionable.

In the first half of 2025, Japan recorded 163 accidents involving small motorized vehicles such as electric scooters, with 29 cases, or 17.8 percent, caused by people under the influence of alcohol, according to police data.

The percentage is much higher than 0.6 percent for accidents involving moists with engine capacities of 50 cc or less and 0.8 percent for bicycles.

Since September, several police officers in Osaka have started using electric scooters for environmental patrols and to go to the accident site, hoping to show how to drive safely.