Lisbon, Aug. 28, 2026 (Lusa) - The shared scooter companies Bolt, Lime and Bird said on Friday that they have adapted their services to different local authority regulations, at a time when several local authorities have chosen to restrict these operations within their jurisdictions.
«We have consistently adapted our operations as local regulations have evolved,» they stated in a response to questions from Lusa regarding the discontinuation of these services in various municipalities, citing collaborative work with the local authorities in Lisbon and Porto as examples.
This year, newly elected mayors have banned the services in Vila Nova de Gaia (Porto district), Braga and Espinho (Aveiro), whilst debates on the services have also been launched in Porto, Lisbon and Coimbra following several incidents.
In April, following an accident in which a young person was killed in Porto, the City Council approved a proposal to study the use of electric scooters and the associated accident rates; the same happened in Gaia, which decided to cancel a tender for the provision of the service.
Two months later, Braga voted in favour of banning the scooters, with the mayor, João Rodrigues (PSD/CDS-PP/PPM), stating that he intended to «assess, rethink and regulate» the presence of this mode of transport in the city.
At the end of July, Espinho Town Council, led by Jorge Ratola (PSD), decided to suspend shared bicycle and scooter services, arguing that the disorder caused by these vehicles has been threatening mobility and safety in public spaces.
In Lisbon, the issue entered public debate this month at the instigation of the Automobile Club of Portugal (ACP), which proposed a municipal referendum to ban scooters – a move already contested by Bolt, Lime and Bird, who consider that «the real causes of road safety concerns» are «dangerous driving, infrastructure deficiencies and the need for more effective enforcement».
In Coimbra, Mayor Ana Abrunhosa (PS/L/PAN) stated that the city «is not equipped» to accommodate shared scooters; officials are currently drafting a concession process and supporting regulations to govern the use of this mode of transport.
According to the three operators interviewed by Lusa, «urban mobility policies must prioritise the safety and accessibility of the most vulnerable road users, including cyclists, scooter users and pedestrians», noting that «the way urban space is designed and allocated has a direct impact on safety».
Thus, «reducing the dominance of private cars and providing protected, dedicated space for walking, cycling and shared micromobility would help to minimise conflicts between different road users», integrating scooters «in a safer and more predictable way into the transport system, whilst keeping pavements clear for pedestrians».
«We recognise that electric scooters parked inappropriately are a legitimate concern and that we, as operators, have a responsibility to help resolve this issue», but they state that they continue «to invest in measures such as mandatory photographs at the end of each journey, parking checks using artificial intelligence, user rating systems, the imposition of penalties and user awareness campaigns», ensuring that teams on the ground «respond quickly to reports».
However, they emphasise that «technology and enforcement alone cannot fully resolve the issue when there is insufficient and properly signposted parking infrastructure», considering that this responsibility must «be shared» with local authorities, with whom they are «willing to work (…) through possible co-investment models» for parking spaces.
The restrictions on scooters have also prompted various reactions from civil society, including that of Mário Alves, from the Estrada Viva association, who told Lusa that scooters «are not a problem compared to cars» in terms of accident rates, as «the main problem with road accidents in Portugal is car-versus-car collisions and cars skidding off the road».
Even if there are «people who get up to mischief on scooters, even pedestrians, and not everyone fully complies with the law», this should not «blur the focus or distract us from the real problem, which is, in fact, cars; that is where the danger on the roads lies».
In 2025, according to the National Road Safety Authority (ANSR), there were 4,296 accidents involving two-wheeled vehicles (including scooters) and 28 deaths – figures well below those for accidents involving light and heavy motor vehicles and motorbikes (57,195), which caused 352 deaths; these figures do not specify who was at fault in the accidents.
JE/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
