Where And How To Rent An Electric Scooter In Budapest – Rules, Costs, Providers, And Addresses! (In 2022)
Do you want to rent an electric scooter in Budapest? That is understandable! Especially around the spring and summer period, transport by electric scooter is ideal.
But how should you rent an electric scooter? What about the rules and legislation? Which sharing scooter app can you download in Budapest? And, how does such an app work? Read on for all the information!
Rules and legislation in Budapest
In May 2019, the first e-scooters were strategically distributed across Budapest to improve mobility. This initiative was a collaboration between sharing step app ‘Lime‘ and Cities4People. This is to limit the increase of motor vehicles in Budapest (16% over the last 5 years).
While the introduction of e-scooters brings benefits, it also causes chaos. This is one of the reasons why the rules and legislation have been tightened up at the European level. In Budapest you have to take into account the following rules:
- under the influence of alcohol driving
- Drive at a maximum speed of 20 km/h
- Only ride on bike lanes (the road is too bumpy)
- Don’t park your electric scooter in front of an entrance or in the middle of the sidewalk
- Driver must be at least 16 years old
- Two people on an electric scooter (duo riders) is prohibited
Furthermore, you are not allowed to park shared scooters outside the red zones (see app). If you ride outside the designated area, you risk being fined or banned from the sharing app.
Where can you rent an electric scooter in Budapest?
Looking for an electric scooter in Budapest? Since the introduction, you can choose from several rental companies. Shared scooters can be found on the riverbank of the Danube. Other rental companies are for example Buda-Best Rides and E-Magine Budapest.
The latter is a well-known rental company for fat tire e-scooters. At E-Magine you can book a tour, or explore the city without a guide by e-scooter. Take a look at their website for more information about prices and locations.
The address of E-magine is 16 Várkert rakpart, Budapest 1013, Hungary
Which electric scooter apps can you use in Budapest?
The most convenient way to rent an electric scooter is through a sharing scooter app. As far as we know Bird, Tier and Hive are not active in Budapest, but you can use Lime. This company has about 200 shared scooters strategically spread across the city. You can find them mainly on the riverbank of the Danube.
Lime
Lime is one of the most popular sharing scooter apps. It is accessible, cheap, and easy to use. You pay a starting rate of 1,- euro and then pay 15 cents per minute. For example, if you drive through Budapest for one hour, you pay about 10 euros in total.
But how does the Lime app work? Very simple, go through the following steps:
- Download the app (and Q-reader)
- Find a charged shared scooter via the map
- Scan the QR code and start driving
- Click on ‘end ride‘ to stop
- Park within the indicated zone
Are you unable to start the e-scooter? Then you may have to give the first push, OR the electric scooter is: ‘under maintenance‘, which means that the Lime team has to pick up the shared scooter due to a technical malfunction. Or, the electric scooter is already in use.
How Scooter-Friendly is Budapest?
If you really want to experience this beautiful capital of Hungary, rent an electric scooter or do a bike tour! Budapest is becoming scooter and bicycle friendly with more and better bike paths.
This makes it increasingly safer and more fun to take the electric scooter and drive from Buda to Pest, for example, or to do other fun routes.
Please note, that you are not allowed to ride side by side on an electric scooter in Budapest! Go for a ride along the waterfront, visit a coffee house, enjoy a traditional goulash or explore one of the many museums.
Castle Hill in particular is known for the impressive museums that you will find there. Shopping enthusiasts can indulge in various shopping streets such as Vaci utca and Fashion Street. And if you want to relax after shopping or driving, you will find the best bathhouses in Europe in Budapest.
Nice route to ride with an electric scooter (along the Danube river)
If you want to experience something different than most tourists, this route is really something for you. In the 15-kilometer-long route you drive through nature, outside the center, along the Danube and you end up on a terrace among the locals.
Start on the southern part of Margaret Island and then cycle across the island to the north. This is a relaxed part of the route because there is a lot of greenery and you are not bothered by cars on the island.
At the Árpád bridge you turn left and continue to the Thermen Maiores, these are some remains of a Roman bathhouse from the year 200, built for the soldiers stationed in Aquincum. The interesting thing about this place is that the old remains are in sharp contrast to the surrounding flats from recent history. You will not encounter this sight in the center.
The best thing is to then drive south again along the Danube on the other side. There are good bike lanes on a large part of the route and you will not be bothered by car traffic. Halfway through you can stop at Lánchíd Sörözo for a drink and rock music or you can enjoy the view of the chain bridge at Zhao Zhao while enjoying a special tea.
Then you drive 5 kilometers further along various highlights such as the Rudas Badhuis and the beautiful Gellert Hotel. If you look left over the Danube you will at some point see the Bálna, a glass whale that dives between two 19th-century warehouses.
The endpoint is on the Kopaszi-gá where you can lie along the water or grab a terrace among the locals
