Stopped by Garda on my Xiaomi M365 electric scooter
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This evening I was stopped by Garda on my M365 electric scooter. Reason is of course that scooter is suspected to be MPV. I had with me printed FAQ from Garda and RSA website that I showed them. They were really nice and polite, checked that scooter needs assistance and let me go. I had my camera on for my own safety reasons so I managed to record it all. I blurd their faces and of course cuted of unimportant parts. Its so nice to meet some nice Gards after reading all those articles about seized scooters.
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If my eScooter was seized and I was considered breaking law it wouldnt be my mistake. It would be done because I’m misinformed by official websites and law in place that isn’t clear. My eScooter isn’t MPV but anyway I did try to insure and tax it but I just couldn’t. Revenue asks for CoC that nobody provides and insurance companies are literally laughing on my phone calls. Being treated like someone who just doesn’t want to pay his car tax or insurance still isn’t fair at all. Guys prepare documentation and prove that your eScooter isn’t MPV and I think you should be fine. If you end up dealing with Garda who wants to get you off road no matter what then there is no help.
“legal position is that if one of these scooters can be powered by mechanical or electrical power alone is considered MPV.” Well our scooter can’t be “powered by mechanical or electrical power alone” since it needs assistance or human power to start riding.
Big Thanks to David Sainz Aller from eRide WhatsApp group for sharing this Document that saved my scooter. We edited document a bit and added article about case from 2011 where a man caught drink driving his scooter made legal history after his case was dismissed because his vehicle was only “mechanically assisted”.
Note that document created to help people avid their eScooter being seized by Garda isnt valid anymore since RSA changed their FAQ.
