A popular form of transportation for tourists on day trips has been banned in a European city due to a significant increase in accidents over the past year.
Starting January 2027, Brussels will no longer permit shared e-scooters on its streets, following an announcement by authorities in the Brussels-Capital Region. Currently, the city has two remaining scooter operators, Bolt and Dott, offering shared e-scooters. Their licenses will not be renewed after expiring at the end of 2026, as reported by the Brussels Times.
The decision to ban shared e-scooters in Brussels was driven by safety concerns and the disruption they cause to local residents. This move aligns Brussels with other European cities like Paris, Madrid, and Prague, which have also removed shared e-scooters.
Brussels officials, including mobility minister Elke Van den Brandt and minister-president Boris Dilliès, expressed worries about the growing number of accidents involving e-scooters. In 2025, there were 666 e-scooter-related accidents, marking a 26% increase from the previous year. Additionally, rental scooters have been linked to criminal activities, including 25 shootings in Brussels last year.
Boris Dilliès emphasized the city’s decision to remove self-service scooters, citing them as a source of disorder and injuries, cluttering the streets and being misused by criminals. He highlighted the importance of self-service bicycles in their mobility strategy.
In response, e-scooter rental company Bolt argued that banning shared scooters could lead users towards private, unregulated, and potentially hazardous scooters or more polluting modes of transportation, contrary to Brussels’ safety, congestion, and climate goals.
Following Brussels’ ban, the Benelux Union, comprising Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, urged the European Commission to establish a unified framework for all EU countries to streamline regulations and ensure consistent safety standards for vehicles used on public roads.
In the UK, privately owned e-scooters are prohibited on public roads and pavements, limiting their use to private property. Legal rental schemes are available in select areas like London and Birmingham, with strict criteria such as speed limits, age restrictions, and licensing requirements for users.
