The Consumer Rights Protection Center (PTAC) announced that under the Law on the Safety of Goods and Services, Ride Mobility's rental service is currently not permitted and has been suspended until further notice, Latvian Public Broadcasting (LSM) reported.

The PTAC has ordered the company to provide proof by noon Friday that it has ceased operations. The authority highlighted that one of the main risks with the service is its accessibility to children, despite not being intended for them, as the company does not verify users' ages.

The company's rental terms, however, state the service is for adults only.

"Ride's platform may only be used by adults. To register, users must confirm they are at least 18 years old and we are gradually implementing additional verification mechanisms to enforce this requirement more strictly. In practice, however, there are cases where minors use their parents' or other individuals' information. We are actively seeking technical and legal solutions to minimize such cases, including linking accounts to IDs or bank cards," the company said in a statement.

The suspension came at the request of Riga Mayor Viesturs Kleinbergs, who told Latvian Television that stricter regulations for rental vehicles in the city had also been discussed, but such measures would take longer to implement.

"This particular businessman is an example of why we are constantly being forced to add more bureaucracy, because there are always some entrepreneurs who believe they can run their business more cleverly than everyone else," Kleinbergs said in the interview.

Ride Mobility CEO Edgars Jākobsons told the news agency LETA that he considers the PTAC decision unfounded. He added that on Friday the company's lawyers would review the legal basis of the ruling before deciding on next steps.

Meanwhile, PTAC Director Zaiga Liepiņa said: "We believe the service must be suspended immediately to prevent minors' access and to avoid similar incidents in the future."

The agency urged all consumers, especially young people and their parents, to use rental transport responsibly, following providers' rules and the law. It reminded the public that using e-scooters and other micromobility vehicles without proper training or age checks can pose a serious danger both to the user and to others nearby.

On Wednesday, in Riga's Imanta district, two 13-year-old girls riding a Ride Mobility electric moped drove onto a railroad crossing and were struck by a train, killing both.

In Estonia

Ride Mobility also operates the same rental scooters in Estonia's capital Tallinn where a public debate has been raging over whether they're use is safe for riders and pedestrians.

While the company maintains that the scooters are meant only for adults and should be used on the road and not sidewalks, real use cases differ considerably also in Estonia.

The City of Tallinn unveiled plans in spring to specify electromobility vehicles' parking conditions and force companies to electronically lower speeds in busy pedestrian zones.

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