Paraguay’s Chamber of Deputies Commission on Public Works, Services and Communications has issued a negative opinion on a bill that sought to incorporate specific rules for electric scooters into the national traffic and road safety law. The proposal aimed to establish a regulatory framework for this form of urban mobility, which has seen a significant increase in use in recent years, particularly among young people in cities.
During the analysis, commission members concluded that amending the national traffic law is unnecessary, arguing that municipalities already have sufficient authority to regulate e-scooter circulation through local ordinances. The bill had warned of risks related to road safety, accidents, and coexistence in public spaces, and noted that the expansion of electric scooters represents a new, sustainable, and efficient urban transport alternative, but one that has advanced without clear rules on circulation, safety, and responsibilities.
The commission’s decision means that e-scooter regulation will remain a local matter, with no national-level rules forthcoming. In the same session, the commission also postponed consideration of a proposal to declare the transformation of the Recoleta Cemetery into a cultural and memorial park as a matter of public utility and cultural interest. Commission president Benjamín Cantero said the study of that initiative was delayed pending official reports and positions from the Municipality of Asunción and the Municipal Board, and that a public hearing may be held to debate the proposal. Other projects related to electricity tariff benefits for sanitation boards were also deferred.