Brussels bans shared electric scooters from 2027 after 26% rise in injuries

Decision announced

The Brussels regional government confirmed on Thursday that shared electric scooters will be prohibited on its territory from 1 January 2027. The current licences held by the two authorised operators, Bolt and Dott, expire at the end of 2026, after which the roughly 7,800 vehicles in circulation will have to vanish.

Too many accidents, too many disturbances, too much abuse — Brussels is turning the page on rental scooters.

The move was jointly communicated by Mobility Minister Elke Van den Brandt (Groen) and Minister‑President Boris Dilliès (MR). The government pointed to decisions in Paris, Madrid and Prague in recent years as precedents; Paris became the first European capital to completely forbid rental scooters in 2023, following a city‑organised vote.

Reasons for the prohibition

Three main justifications were set out by the regional authorities. The first is a sharp rise in accidents involving the devices. In 2025, 666 people were injured in Brussels in incidents linked to electric scooters, an increase of 26% compared to the previous year. During the first quarter of 2025 alone, the road safety institute Vias recorded 127 injury collisions in the Brussels region, accounting for almost a quarter of the Belgian total and representing a year‑on‑year jump of 44%. Elke Van den Brandt noted that the risk of injury on an e‑scooter is roughly ten times higher than on a bicycle and 93 times higher than in a car, with a particularly high proportion of head injuries because riders are thrown forward.

This focus on scooters is justified by the fact that the risk of injury is ten times higher compared to bikes. In Brussels, 71% of cyclists wear a helmet against 20% for e‑scooter users.

The second complaint is that poorly parked scooters regularly obstruct other road users and block pavements. Third, the government condemned the use of rental scooters for criminal purposes, notably by drug dealers. Brussels King’s prosecutor Julien Moinil has repeatedly highlighted this pattern.

Reaction from operators and unions

Bolt and Dott denounced the ban, which takes effect when their licences end. The ACV‑CSC trade union called the decision “brutal” and warned that it endangers 60 jobs at Dott. The union added that most of the affected workers are low‑skilled, making their reintegration especially difficult.

The majority of the workers concerned are low‑skilled, which makes their reintegration particularly difficult.

The regional government stressed that the bike‑sharing service will be maintained, and no changes were announced for privately owned electric scooters.

A growing European trend

Brussels joins a list of major European cities that have curbed rental e‑scooters. Paris led the way in 2023 after a municipal referendum, while Madrid and Prague subsequently introduced similar restrictions. The Brussels authorities underlined these precedents in their announcement, framing the ban as part of a wider reassessment of micro‑mobility regulation in dense urban environments.