The Department of Transport Management on Monday issued a 15-day ultimatum to electric scooter users to register the vehicles before plying them on the Kathmandu streets and elsewhere in the country.

Transport authorities said the decision was taken after it was found that distributors had been promoting electric scooters with false information that no registration, driving licence or helmet is necessary for using them.

Many people are found to be riding e-scooters without licence and registration. “When an accident occurs or the [electric scooter] driver violates traffic rules, it is not easy to track and take action against them,” said Basanta Adhikari, spokesperson for the Transport Department.

The department has decided to take stringent actions against those riding an e-scooter without registration. Adhikari said there are increasing cases of accidents caused by electric scooters, including one on the Tripureshwor-Kalanki road last week, where an e-scooter without a number plate was abandoned while the rider fled the scene after hitting a commuter.

The government has so far permitted electric scooters smaller than 350 watt without registration across the country except for Kathmandu where it allows only those with motor capacity above 1,200 watt.

The department estimates that around 4,000 e-scooters run in the Valley without regulation.