Shared scooters are set to disappear from the streets of Lisbon. On Wednesday, October 21, the City Council approved the suspension of the system, and operators now have 60 days to remove all vehicles from the city, Lusa reported, as cited by Observador. If they fail to do so, the city may proceed with the removal and charge them for the costs.
What’s Changing
The measure applies only to rental scooters from operators such as Bolt, Bird, and Lime, as reported by RTP. Those who own their own scooters may continue to use them, provided they comply with traffic rules.
Before the decision becomes final, the operators have 10 days to respond in writing. The deputy mayor and councilor for Mobility, Gonçalo Reis, says that by the end of January there will no longer be shared scooters in Lisbon and guarantees that their return is not planned, according to RTP.
Why
In the proposal, the City Council points to an increase in complaints and incidents—ranging from riding against traffic to using sidewalks—as well as a lack of improvement in safety for pedestrians, despite the fact that the number of scooters has already been reduced. According to Mayor Carlos Moedas, more than 1,200 scooters are collected each month from public roads.
In return, the city government has committed to expanding the bike-sharing network and strengthening GIRA with more stations and bicycles, as well as presenting municipal regulations for sustainable mobility within one year, according to Executive Digest.
What’s happening abroad
Lisbon is not an isolated case. Paris banned scooter rentals as of September 1, 2023, following a referendum in which 89% of voters opposed the service, although less than 8% of eligible voters cast ballots, as reported by ECO. Prague banned shared scooters starting in January 2026, according to Observador, and Madrid has also done away with them. In Portugal, Gaia, Braga, and Espinho have made the same decision in recent months.
In Spain, the rules for all scooters have become stricter: as of October 1, 2026, children under 15 will not be allowed to ride them, and helmets will be mandatory, with fines of 200 euros, according to El Español.
In Belgium, the road safety institute Vias recorded approximately five accidents per day involving scooters and victims in 2024—13% more than the previous year, according to the Brussels Times. And in the first quarter of 2025, these accidents rose by 61%, according to AFP, as cited by Brut.
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