Growth in e-scooter use in Germany is powering ahead thanks to private demand rather than the rental fleets that first drove their popularity, as operators like Lime and Bolt grapple with increasingly unfavorable business conditions. Last year, more than 80% of e-scooters in Europe’s biggest economy were privately owned, according to data published Monday by the GDV German Insurance Association. The number of rental scooters declined by about 10% last year, while the fleet of privately owned units surged again and has almost tripled in size over the past four years. A combination of rising costs for riders, increasing incidents of scooter damage and tighter regulations, including a host of city bans, has made conditions considerably more difficult for rental providers in recent years. An IPO last month by the operator of Lime e-scooters and bikes was a rare bright spot.