When Luup scooter users in Kyoto enter prohibited areas around the city’s picturesque Kamo River, their vehicle will issue a voice warning and then gradually come to a halt under a new “community safety stop” function, which Luup has rolled out in partnership with Kyoto Prefecture and the Kyoto Prefectural Police.
The setting, which the company has described as “an industry-first initiative,” uses GPS-locating and will initially target attempted scooter use along the Kamo River, a paved and grassy stretch that is lined with homes, small businesses and trees and is a favored spot among joggers, walkers and picnickers.
The firm introduced a system in its app that displays streets where bicycles and electric scooters should be walked and notifies riders beforehand.
A Luup official told local TV broadcaster MBS that the company initially thought of putting up signs to alert users of areas where riding electric scooters are banned, but said that putting up signs everywhere could damage Kyoto’s atmosphere.
Luup said the function would be applied only to car-free environments, since remotely controlling scooters with GPS could be risky in cases where they share roads with cars.
Luup launched in Kyoto in 2021 and has ports in more than 1,440 locations in the city. In January, the company signed an agreement with the prefecture to expand the use of its scooters through measures such as setting up ports on the prefectural government’s grounds and allowing its officials to use them during work.
Congested buses in Kyoto are among the symptoms of overwhelming tourism flows, and the lightweight electric scooters — which have a maximum speed of 20 kilometers per hour and can be driven by those age 16 or older without a license — have proven to be a popular form of transportation for travelers as well as residents.
“To address issues such as overcrowding on municipal buses that can disrupt residents’ daily mobility, Luup has worked to diversify and disperse tourist travel routes. Through the development of transportation infrastructure, the company aims to secure everyday transportation options for residents while helping alleviate overtourism,” the firm said.
Along with the increased use of electric scooters, accidents have also been on the rise. The number of accidents involving electric scooters and electric bicycles nationwide totaled 386 in 2025, up by 48 from the previous year, with around 10% of them involving drunken driving, according to a government white paper on road safety released earlier this month.
AloJapan.com