Brussels to ban shared electric scooters citing safety and crime concerns

Brussels has decided to ban shared electric scooters from its streets starting January 2027, citing safety concerns and the disruption they cause to residents. The regional government announced that the licenses for the two current shared e-scooter operators, Bolt and Dott, will not be renewed when they expire at the end of 2026.

This move makes Brussels the latest European capital to restrict or ban shared e-scooters, following similar decisions in Paris, Madrid, and Prague. Authorities stated that shared scooters have become an increasing impediment to other road users. In 2025 alone, 666 accidents were linked to electric scooters, a 26% increase from the previous year. Furthermore, rental scooters have been implicated in criminal activities, including 25 shooting incidents in Brussels last year.

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The decision to remove self-service rental scooters from Brussels is part of a clear and consistent policy. These vehicles are often associated with disorder, cause inconvenience, lead to serious injuries, clutter the streets, and, unfortunately, are increasingly used by organized criminals. Shared bicycles remain an important part of our mobility policy.

A government spokesperson emphasized that removing self-service rental scooters is part of a clear and consistent policy to combat disorder, inconvenience, serious injuries, and street clutter. They also noted that shared bicycles remain an important part of the city's mobility strategy.

However, the rental company Bolt disagrees with the decision, arguing that discussions about traffic safety and improper parking often conflate private and shared scooters, which they believe are fundamentally different. Bolt contends that a ban will not deter people from using scooters but will instead push them towards unregulated private scooters or more polluting transport options, hindering Brussels' goals for safety, congestion reduction, and climate protection.

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A ban will not stop people from traveling. It will only encourage the use of private, unregulated, harder-to-trace, and truly dangerous scooters, or lead to choosing more environmentally polluting means of transport. Neither of these scenarios will help Brussels achieve its goals related to safety, congestion, or climate protection.