The Brussels-Capital Region had planned to slash the number of shared vehicles on the city's streets. However, a clash between the government and two e-scooter operators has put a spanner in the works.
At the end of last year, the Brussels Government approved a decree to better regulate shared vehicles, especially e-scooters, in the capital. The measure aimed specifically to reduce their number. Furthermore, Bolt and Dott were the only two providers selected to operate in Brussels, together offering a total of 8,000 shared e-scooters from 1 February 2024.
While most companies accepted that this marked the end of their time in Brussels, two operators – Voi and Lime – took the matter to court, claiming that the city had not made a thorough and fair analysis. One day before thousands of scooters were due to be removed from the streets, a Brussels court ruled that Lime and Voi could continue offering their e-scooters in the region until their licence expires (23 August this year for Voi and 3 July 2025 for Lime).
The regional government is in the process of appealing this ruling, the cabinet of Mobility Minister Elke Van den Brandt (Groen) confirmed. Her spokesperson told The Brussels Times that the refusal of both companies to remove their scooters means there are still 11,500 e-scooters in the region – 45% more than the target number.
"All other operators have left the region," she said. "Voi and Lime are the only ones who refuse to go." Lawyers are currently considering the case. However the minister's cabinet expects the court proceedings to be protracted, blocking the region's effort to reduce the nuisance caused by the scooters.
E-scooters parked in a designated spot in the centre of Brussels. Credit: Lauren Walker
Voi's spokesperson told The Brussels Times that due to ongoing legal proceedings the company cannot comment on the case. But as its contract was set to end soon, the outcome will have little effect.
Lime's Communication Officer also made no specific comments but confirmed that the company will for now continue operations in the Brussels-Capital Region and that its fleet of more than 3,500 e-scooters and electric bicycles will not be reduced for the time being.
Drop zones
The providers of the 7,500 shared bicycles in the Brussels-Capital Region – Voi, Bolt and Dott – remain unchanged.
Van den Brandt's spokesperson confirmed that this part of the decree has indeed taken effect from the start of February, obliging all e-scooters to be parked in these zones.
It is up to operators to ensure that their vehicles end in specific parking zones; fines will be issued if their vehicles are misplaced or city authorities may remove the scooters if they cannot be parked in a drop zone within a radius of 150 metres. Regional and municipal checks will soon be carried out.
To this end, Lime noted that it has integrated new features into its app to ensure parking compliance in the city, which includes an improved "end-of-trip photo" system.
