Wallonia regulates shared e-scooters and bikes in public spaces

The Walloon government has adopted a decree to regulate fleets of shared bicycles and e-scooters in cities and to ensure more sustainable management.

The text provides for the Region to grant licenses only to operators who meet various technical requirements, such as vehicle characteristics, but also the sustainability of fleet management. The Walloon municipalities will be able to set specific operating conditions on their territory.

Apply for license

In practical terms, operators must apply for a license using a form that will soon be available on the Walloon Region portal.

Operators who have already been offering shared vehicles for more than a month in the Walloon Region will have to have their license for free-fleet vehicle sharing in order by 1 January 2024 at the latest. For new players, the decree will apply immediately.

Push to local anchoring

The decree also lays down rules for more sustainable fleet management, i.e., changing batteries and collecting cycle-sharing vehicles. The latter will have to be operated exclusively by non-motorized vehicles or electric vehicles, at a minimum of 50% from 2023 and 100% by 2026.

In addition, this fleet management will have to be carried out by local companies whose place of business is less than 50 km from the area where the vehicles are operated. The first legal framework for e-scooters in Wallonia dated from 2021.

The Brussels government finally approved in mid-July the decree tightening the rules of riding and parking e-scooters and other shared vehicles in the Brussels Region.

The decree will come into force this summer, but the switchover to the new system for operators will occur on 1 January 2024. In general, the number of shared e-scooters will be limited, and there will only be room for a limited number of operators.