Brussels bans e-scooters – level 3

Brussels bans e-scooters

25-06-2026 07:00

Brussels will completely ban shared e-scooters from its streets starting January 2027 due to growing safety concerns. The Belgian capital joins other major European cities like Paris, Madrid, and Prague that have already outlawed them.

The local government decided not to renew the licences of the operators, Bolt and Dott, after a 26% increase in accidents in 2025 left 666 people injured. Medical experts warn that e-scooter crashes often cause severe head and facial injuries. Additionally, poorly parked scooters frequently clutter pavements, obstruct public ways and create serious difficulties for the elderly and people with reduced mobility. Surprisingly, authorities also revealed a strong link to organized crime. They said drug traffickers used e-scooters in 25 shootings last year.

While rental e-scooters will disappear completely, Brussels plans to strengthen its transportation network by expanding the availability of shared bicycles and e-bikes instead.

Difficult words: outlaw (to make something completely illegal or forbid it by an official government law), clutter (to fill a space with too many messy things so that it looks untidy and is difficult to use), trafficker (a criminal who buys and sells illegal goods, like dangerous drugs or weapons).

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How did the 26% rise in accidents in 2025 that left 666 people injured, medical warnings about severe head and facial injuries, pavement clutter obstructing the elderly and people with reduced mobility, and the reported use of e-scooters in 25 shootings influence the decision not to renew Bolt’s and Dott’s licences, and which shared transport options will Brussels expand instead?

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