As the popularity of e-scooters continues to grow throughout Belgium, more and more people are choosing to purchase their models, rather than renting.
The rental of e-scooters, free-floating electric-powered vehicles classified as a form of micro-mobility, has surged in popularity in Brussels since the arrival of the vehicles into the city.
Recently, however, sales of e-scooters are booming. Many shops in the Belgian capital now sell e-scooters as the demand for ownership is so high, reports New Mobility.
FNAC now sells e-scooters. They are “a trendy product. Judging the state of mobility in Brussels, we’re helping them to find other ways to move about. Out of all FNAC shops, ours is 10th in terms of e-scooters sales,” said Brussels’ FNAC City 2 manager, Vincent Garcia.
Likewise, for the shop BillyKite in Ixelles, half of its revenue comes from the purchase of e-scooters, because the demand is so high, explained shop owner Jérôme Namèche.
Although specific rental prices depend on the operator, renting an e-scooter for about 30 minutes five days a week can cost up to €90. This means that renting an e-scooter costs around €1,080 per year.
Comparatively the cost of purchasing an e-scooter ranges from €300 to €1,500.
At the same time that e-scooters sales are on the rise, some rental operators are withdrawing their e-scooters from the streets of Brussels. In August, Hive and Wind, two e-scooter operators, removed a total of 1,300 scooters from the capital.
Despite their popularity, e-scooters continue to be a safety concern, causing problems for other road users and pedestrians.
Evie McCullough
The Brussels Times
