Lisbon, Sept. 23, 2026 (Lusa) - The Automobile Club of Portugal (ACP) announced Wednesday that it had collected around 20,000 signatures from registered voters in Lisbon in support of a municipal referendum on continuing the city's shared electric scooter scheme.
The initiative, which required just 5,000 valid signatures, will now be formally submitted to the Lisbon Municipal Assembly, setting in motion the process for holding a municipal referendum, the ACP added in a statement.
The collection of signatures began in early August among ACP members, and the club later extended it to the city's streets, with collection points across Lisbon.
According to the ACP, the number of signatures collected reflects «the mobilisation of Lisbon's residents around an issue that has an impact on mobility, safety, accessibility and the use of the city's public spaces».
«With this initiative, the club aims to promote debate on the city's urban mobility model and ensure that a decision with a direct impact on the lives of thousands of people is taken by the citizens themselves,» the ACP said in a statement.
After the Municipal Assembly receives the initiative and the president of the Assembly conducts «an initial check of the legal requirements,» a committee of the Assembly will examine the proposal within 15 days and submit a report.
The Assembly will then put the proposal to a vote in a plenary session; if approved, the Assembly will send the resolution to the Constitutional Court, which will verify its constitutionality and legality.
Only after these steps, and provided a favourable decision is reached, will Lisbon residents be able to have their say in a municipal referendum on the continued operation of the approximately 6,000 shared electric scooters currently in the city.
«The club has been highlighting the opportunities this situation presents in terms of road and pedestrian safety, accessibility, the use of pavements and other public spaces, and enforcement, given that the issue goes beyond mobility and also falls within the realm of urban management and quality of life,» the ACP added.
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