E-scooters in Pärnu: Bolt, the city’s speed limits and where not to ride or park

Which e-scooter apps work in Pärnu?

Bolt rents stand-up e-scooters in Pärnu: OÜ Bolt Operation runs the service under a contract with the city government, the city says. The contract sets requirements for parking the scooters and for informing riders, and when the agreed terms aren’t met the city raises it with Bolt (city news, 10 April 2026). Check the price and the parking rules in the Bolt app before you start.

At 19:57 on Monday 2 November 2026, Estonian time, the map of Pärnu showed about 300 Bolt scooters free to rent at that moment.

New to shared e-scooters? See how to rent an e-scooter.

Pärnu’s speed limits: 25, 17 and 9 km/h

The city’s page on e-scooters in Pärnu tells riders to follow the general rules and, on top of them, the exceptions set in Pärnu. The general top speed is 25 km/h, with three exceptions:

So from September to May, as on 2 November, the limit is 25 km/h everywhere but the yacht club’s grounds.

Supeluse tänav is closed to cars in summer. Announcing on 1 September 2026 that it was open to ordinary traffic again, the city said clearer road markings had helped share the street that summer, but e-scooters remained one of the challenges: their riders had not kept to the traffic restrictions in place.

Where you can’t ride or park a scooter in Pärnu

In Pärnu, riding a scooter, ending a ride and parking are banned in these places (city of Pärnu, read on 2 November 2026):

• the street extensions on the sea side of Ranna puiestee, from the Side tänav extension to the Lehe tänav extension;
• the hiking trail at Side tänav;
• the pier boardwalk (muuli laudtee);
• the east pavement of the Kesklinna bridge;
• cemeteries and sports grounds.

Parking is also banned:

• on the waiting and safety islands of larger junctions, and on bridges;
• in front of Hotel Pärnu and in front of the Endla theatre;
• on Rävala tänav;
• on a path less than 2 metres wide, in the middle of a path or across it, so that the way stays free for people in wheelchairs or with prams and for people with impaired sight.

Where you may park, the Traffic Act says how: stand the scooter at the edge of the pavement or path away from the road, parallel to it and within 0.2 metres of it, with at least 1.5 metres left for people on foot, on bikes and on scooters (§ 20).

Reporting a badly parked scooter. Rental scooters cause problems in the city, above all when they are parked wrongly, Pärnu said in April 2026, as they block the way and can endanger other road users. The easiest way to report one is the QR code under the handlebar, which leads to a web form. Bolt passes the report on to the rider and may restrict repeat offenders’ access to the service. The city’s aim, it said, is not punishment but an orderly and safe street space.

For questions and problems, the city’s page lists Bolt’s 602 8450 and estonia-rentals@bolt.eu.

Estonia’s e-scooter rules: age, helmet and where to ride

Estonian law calls a stand-up e-scooter a kergliikur (light personal vehicle); in everyday Estonian it’s an elektritõukeratas. It is electric, for one person, without a seat, built for at most 25 km/h with a motor of up to 1 kW. The rules are in the Traffic Act (liiklusseadus). From 16 you need no licence of any kind.

Fines are counted in fine units of €8 each (Penal Code, § 47): up to 15 units, €120, for most scooter offences. In summary proceedings such an offence is settled with a fixed €40 fine (§ 262¹). Over the alcohol limit, or if you hurt someone or cause damage or danger, the maximum is €800 (§ 259). For a rider under 18, the fine is worked out from half the maximum (Penal Code, § 47).

The pavement is allowed: the Traffic Act lists it among the places a kergliikur may ride, beside cycle tracks and footpaths. Pass people on foot at about their speed, slow down where a path meets a road and you can’t see far, and cross the road at walking pace (§ 32, § 32¹).

The same national rules apply in our guides to Tartu and Tallinn.

Buses and the paths by the sea

City and county buses. Pärnumaa Ühistranspordikeskus (PÜTK), which organises Pärnu’s city, suburban and county bus lines, says you can’t bring an e-scooter, an electric skateboard or a balance board on board without the driver’s permission, nor a bike or a large kick scooter, as they are very dangerous and can soil or scratch the bus or other passengers’ clothes.

The paths. Pärnu has built more than 70 kilometres of light-traffic paths, where you can ride a bike or a rental scooter, the city says. For cycling it suggests the beach promenade, the Mai path to the Papiniidu bird tower, and a route from the promenade through the yacht club’s yard and over the Kesklinna bridge to the 10-kilometre Jaansoni rada on both sides of the Pärnu river. On a scooter, the city’s bans above apply along the way, among them the street extensions on the sea side of Ranna puiestee, the pier boardwalk and the bridge’s east pavement, and the yacht club’s grounds are limited to 9 km/h all year.

Night riding and winter in Pärnu

No curfew. Neither the Traffic Act nor the city’s rules set a night ban for e-scooters; from 1 June to 31 August the limit is 17 km/h from 22:00 to 06:00. After dark you need a white light at the front and a red one at the back (§ 87).

Winter. The city’s page presents rental scooters as an easy way to get about in the warm season, but sets no winter rule for them. On frosty days, check the app and the path before you set off.

Did you know?

• A fifth of Pärnu is green: parks, green areas, boulevards and other green spaces cover a fifth of the city, its page says, and there is a nature reserve by the sea.
• Supeluse tänav’s car-free season marks the start and end of summer in Pärnu, the city said in September 2026.
• Riding well pays in Bolt’s app: it scores riding style and parking, and higher scores bring perks such as free reservations, the city said in April 2026.