Athens on the Move: Can Innovation and Order Ride Together?

Your weekly insider on tech, innovation, and startups

Author

Henry Umunnakwe
May 19, 2025

Good morning and welcome to the 53rd edition of Techincider.

As the Municipality of Athens moves forward with plans to regulate electric scooter, it's becoming clear that the sharp rise and often indiscriminate use of micro-mobility services around the city is forcing an important public conversation. While these services offer much-needed alternatives for urban mobility, they are also increasingly contributing to street-level disorder and, in some cases, local accidents.

Recent reports have confirmed what many Athenians have already observed that electric scooters are frequently left blocking sidewalks, wheelchair ramps, and building entrances. In certain neighborhoods, frustration has escalated to the point where residents have started throwing scooters into trash bins in protest. Personally, I have had countless encounters where I found myself picking up fallen scooters or dragging them out of the road and pedestrian paths.

This reality has sparked an important reflection that the unintended consequences of innovation are often most visible during the early adoption phase. And micro-mobility in Athens is no exception. While we champion the benefits of clean, accessible transport, we must also acknowledge the pressing need for responsible infrastructure and user education.

Rider behavior must change, but so too must the systems that manage these services and as well as better infrastructures. For instance as recommended by the regulatory framework for a mandatory data sharing from service providers that could help city authorities identify high-density scooter areas, leading to better planning and possibly the introduction of designated parking zones. These practical steps would improve safety and accessibility without stifling innovation.

However, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. The micro-mobility challenges faced in Kifissia with its spacious streets and residential layout are vastly different from the high commercial areas of Ermou or the more upscale sidewalks of Kolonaki. Local context must guide our regulatory frameworks.

We welcome regulation, and it must be thoughtful. It should not discourage the adoption of sustainable technologies, or should it place an undue burden on early-stage startups innovating in the urban mobility space. What's needed is a collaborative approach: policymakers, service providers, urban planners, and citizens have to work together, experimenting with a mix of solutions tailored to the character of each district.

Athens has an opportunity to lead by example to show how a city can embrace innovation without sacrificing livability.

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