Plan for Demonstration of E-Scooter with Optional Helmet Approved under “New Business Exception System”

EXx Inc. (Head office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Yamato Aoki; hereinafter “EXx”), mobby ride Inc. (Head office: Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka; CEO: Ryo Hyuga; hereinafter “mobby ride”), and Luup, Inc. (Head office: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Daiki Okai; hereinafter “Luup”), and Hasegawa Kogyo Co. (Head office: Osaka-shi, Osaka; President: Yasumasa Hasegawa; hereinafter “Hasegawa Kogyo”), all of which are members of the Micromobility Promotion Council (a voluntary association, Chairman: Daiki Okai of Luup, Inc.) that consists mainly of domestic e-scooter operators, have received approval for their plan to conduct a demonstration experiment of e-scooters on public roads under the “New Business Exception System” based on the Industrial Competitiveness Enhancement Act. For this demonstration experiment, the vehicle will be treated as a “small-sized special motor vehicle” under the Road Traffic Act, and several changes in driving conditions will be applied, including the optional wearing of helmets and a maximum speed limit of 15 km/h.

Details of Special Measures

Special measures below will be applied to businesses that have applied for and received approval:

– Classification under the Road Traffic Act: Small-sized special motorized vehicles (*Under the Road Transport Vehicle Act, it is treated as “e-bikes” as in the current law)
– Speed limit: limited to a maximum of 15 km/h
– Riding areas: In addition to the roadway, bicycle lanes will be available as in the previous version. In addition, “bicycle roadways” and “roadways that are one-way but allow bicycles to pass in both directions” will also be available.
– Rules for riding: The wearing of helmets became optional (wearing helmets is recommended for safety reasons). Carrying a driver’s license when riding and the purchase of liability insurance will remain mandatory.
– Vehicle requirements: The vehicle must continue to meet the security standards required for mopeds, such as the installation of license plates and mirrors.

These special measures apply only to demonstration experiments conducted under an approved new business activity plan. The above special measures do not apply to the e-scooters owned by non-certified businesses or individuals.

Overview of the Demonstration Experiment

Implementation period
– Start: After April 23rd, 2021 (the exact date depends on operators)
– End: Scheduled for October 2021

Areas of implementation
– EXx: All areas of Setagaya-ku and Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Kashiwa-shi, Chiba; Fujisawa-shi, Kanagawa; and Toyooka-shi, Hyogo
– mobby ride: Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka; Kobe-shi, Hyogo (TBD)
– Luup: Shibuya-ku, Shinjuku-ku, Shinagawa-ku, Setagaya-ku, Minato-ku, and Meguro-ku in Tokyo; Osaka-shi, Osaka
– Hasegawa Kogyo: Part of Chiba-shi, Chiba; Osaka-shi, Osaka