Brussels: Shared Scooters and Bikes Off Streets by Sept 1

Brussels has ordered all free-floating shared scooters and bicycles removed from its streets by 1 September 2026, after Belgium’s Council of State annulled the licences of the capital’s rental operators. Brussels Mobility announced on 30 July that it was sending official letters to the affected companies — Bolt, Dott and Voi — demanding that all vehicles covered by the annulled licences disappear from public space.

The order follows a ruling by the Council of State on 29 July that annulled the licence-awarding decisions made in December 2023. The court found the decisions violated Belgium’s 1991 law on the formal motivation of administrative acts and rested on a 13 July 2023 government order containing unlawful provisions. The legal challenge was brought by Lime, the US micromobility operator excluded from the original tender.

Speaking to RTBF, Camille Thiry, spokesperson for Brussels Mobility, said the administration was giving operators time to adjust because of the summer period and operational constraints. “Everything must have disappeared from public space by 1 September 2026,” she said.

The removal applies to free-floating shared scooters and bikes operated by Dott, Bolt and Voi, but not to Villo!, the station-based bike scheme run by JCDecaux, whose concession has been extended to September 2028. Brussels Mobility has also invited all operators to a consultation meeting in mid-August to examine the ruling’s consequences.

A Licensing Saga Reaches a Breaking Point

As La Libre Belgique reported, the withdrawal marks the latest twist in Brussels’ turbulent relationship with shared micro-mobility. The December 2023 tender awarded scooter licences to Bolt and Dott, and bike licences to Bolt, Dott and Voi — leaving Lime on the sidelines. Lime filed multiple appeals, won a stay in 2024, briefly exited the market in mid-2025, and returned weeks later through a licence transfer.

The Council of State ruling does not overturn the Brussels government’s 11 June decision to ban shared scooters outright from 1 January 2027. That measure, driven by concerns over accidents, public nuisance and criminal use of scooters, had already put the sector on notice. But the annulment of the current licences accelerates the timeline, forcing operators to clear the streets months earlier than planned.

Workers and Operators React

The sudden withdrawal has raised concerns beyond mobility policy. The Brussels Times reported that the region had asked the court to maintain the effects of the current licences while it prepared a new regulatory framework — a request the court rejected.

Trade unions have demanded protections for workers employed by the operators. On 31 July, the FGTB metalworkers’ federation called for an urgent tripartite consultation and a moratorium on layoffs, warning that “workers will not pay the bill for political and administrative errors.” Earlier, the CSC union warned that up to 60 jobs at Dott could be at risk. Dott, which reported 4.3 million trips in Brussels in 2025, cautioned that the ban could push users towards private, unregulated scooters.

Lime, meanwhile, welcomed the ruling, saying it confirmed the 2023 licensing procedure was “fundamentally illegal” and calling on the region to launch a new tender.

What’s Next for the Capital’s Streets

With the 1 September deadline approaching, operators face a logistical scramble to collect thousands of vehicles across the city during the summer holiday period. The mid-August consultation will be crucial in determining how the withdrawal is managed and whether a new tender is launched.

The ruling also leaves the future of shared bikes uncertain. While the station-based Villo! network remains safe until 2028, free-floating bike services are caught in the same legal void as scooters. The Brussels government is expected to draft a new regulatory framework for shared mobility, which will determine whether free-floating operators can return in any form.

For a city that has oscillated between liberalisation and prohibition, the coming weeks will show whether Brussels can bring order to its micro-mobility market — or whether the legal battle simply moves to a new round.