Mobilität: Sharing-Angebote in Brüssel – letzte Fahrt vor September

Brussels residents who frequently use bicycles need strong legs, regardless of whether they are heading to the Schuman Quarter, Place Luxembourg or the popular Châtelain area. On at least one route, however, scooter-sharing and electric bike rental services are common modes of transportation. But this could soon change, as Bolt, Dott and Voi must remove their rental vehicles from public space by September 1st.

A Belgian State Council judgment declared the 2023 licenses issued for these services invalid, following years of litigation from Lime after the company was initially overlooked. Brussels Mobility, the transportation authority responsible for managing mobility in the city, has communicated the exact date and enforcement of the ban.

Originally, the ban was set to take effect in 2027, but now applies to e-scooters as well, leaving uncertainty about how long the gap will remain open. The error that sparked the controversy is structural, not a one-time mistake, according to Steven Fierens, a spokesperson for Brussels Mobility. The regulatory framework on which the competition was based proved faulty, and this became clear only after the competition was announced, despite earlier lawsuits from other operators.

The Brussels Parliament is also addressing the issue, with a citizen petition for the retention of scooter-sharing services surpassing the required 1,000 signatures and likely to be discussed in the Mobility Committee after the summer break. Should no agreement or transition solution be reached by September 1st, Fierens warns of a scenario where everyone loses: no offer for no operator, no solution for users.

The mobility minister, Elke Van den Brandt, is politically responsible for the decision but has not yet responded to inquiries about the background, political responsibility for the faulty procedure in 2023 or the lack of user involvement. Scooter-sharing services, which accounted for nearly nine percent of the overall two-wheeled traffic in Brussels in 2025, could disappear, leaving a significant gap.