Bike sharing is becoming increasingly popular in Belgium, but the number of shared cars on offer is declining. This is according to figures collected by Way To Go, a network organization that promotes shared mobility.

Nevertheless, car sharing in Flanders grew by 22% in terms of user numbers. And while Brussels is the e-scooter capital, Flanders is the “bicycle capital”, with Antwerp leading the way. Wallonia, on the other hand, is a “shared mobility desert” with only 1% of the shared bicycle supply.

It is also striking that in many segments, usage is growing faster than supply. In the case of shared e-scooters, the number of vehicles fell by 35%, while the number of trips increased by 21%. These efficiency gains show that shared mobility is maturing, says Way To Go: fewer vehicles on the streets, but more people using them.

21,721 shared bicycles

Last year, more than 33 million trips were made in Belgium using shared bikes, shared e-scooters, and shared cars. To enable these trips, 49,461 shared vehicles were available in Belgium at the end of 2024.

The distribution shows that micro mobility, i.e., bicycles and e-scooters, dominates the streetscape: 21,721 shared bicycles, 18,764 shared e-scooters, and 8,976 shared cars.

The number of active users of shared bikes and shared e-scooters rose to 2,5 million people, who together made 24 million trips.

European leader in car sharing

Car sharing also continues to grow. With 6,5 shared cars per 10,000 inhabitants, Belgium confirms its position as the European leader in car sharing. The number of users grew py n2%. In Flanders, there are now 46,599 active users.

Nevertheless, the number of shared cars in Belgium is on the decline. In 2025, supply fell by 15% compared to 2024. The decline is mainly due to a reduced supply of so-called ‘free-floating’ vehicles, which can be dropped off at a different location than where they were picked up.

Despite the reduced supply, the number of trips with ’roundtrip’ cars, which must be returned to the same location, in Belgium increased by 8%.

Antwerp bike-sharing city

However, there are significant differences in shared mobility across the three regions, each with its own development trajectory. Flanders is spreading shared mobility geographically, expanding regional networks, and performing strongly in terms of shared bicycles with fixed stations.

Last year, more than 10,8 million trips were registered with shared bikes in Flanders, an increase of 17% compared to the previous year. No less than 64% of all shared bikes are in Flanders. And with 10,2 shared bikes per 1,000 inhabitants, Antwerp even scores better than Paris.

In Antwerp, for example, people take a ride on a shared bike almost 6 times more often than in Brussels. The success of systems such as Velo – in 2025, more than 8 million trips were made with Velo, an increase of 13% – is the driving force here and acts as a catalyst for the entire province, with surrounding municipalities more inclined to implement sharing systems as well.

Ghent: testing ground for car sharing

Around Ghent, we see a completely different pattern. The province of East Flanders has the highest concentration of private car sharing (neighbors using each other’s cars) and ’roundtrip’ car sharing (such as Cambio).

Ghent clearly serves as a testing ground for the entire province, meaning even smaller municipalities in East Flanders offer above-average shared mobility in their village centers.

In West Flanders, shared mobility (especially bicycles) peaks sharply, particularly on the coast during the tourist seasons. However, the province has the lowest density of shared cars per square kilometer outside the cities of Bruges and Kortrijk.

Although the absolute figures are lower than in the other Flemish provinces, the relative growth in the number of car-sharing locations in Limburg in 2024 was very strong.

This is mainly due to provincial incentives to have at least one shared car in each municipality. However, Limburg is often mentioned in the report as the province with the greatest catch-up movement.

Brussels, the capital of shared e-scooter use

In Flemish Brabant, growth is mainly concentrated in the Flemish Periphery around Brussels and in the student city of Leuven. We also see that Brussels combines high density with intensive use, demonstrating how well-thought-out regulations lead to more efficient use.

Although there are more shared bicycles, shared e-scooters are used much more intensively. Brussels is the absolute leader in this respect, with 16,6 trips per 1,000 inhabitants per day. Shared e-scooters were used morethan 9.55 million times last year.

This is remarkable because the number of providers has fallen from 8 to 2 in a few years. Today, only the Estonian Bolt and the German Dott are still active in the capital. More than half (52%) of all shared e-scooters are in Brussels. The capital also has the highest vehicle density with 7,8 e-scooters per 1,000 inhabitants.

The number of trips made on shared bikes in Brussels rose by 2 million to almost 5 million. In contrast, the number of shared cars in Brussels fell by half in two years.

Wallonia lagging behind

Wallonia is still lagging significantly behind, although it is clearly catching up, especially in car sharing and shared scooters. The figures for bicycle trips are also tripling, although the absolute numbers are much lower (77,635 trips in 2025) and the share of shared bicycles in the overall picture is limited to 1%.

Shared scooters, on the other hand, are very popular in the south of the country, with a more than 30% increase in registered trips to almost 1.8 million. If shared mobility has made any mark, it is in Walloon Brabant, Namur, and Liège, but still at a fraction of the level in Flanders.

Shared mobility reinforces public transportation.t

The report makes it clear, once again, that shared mobility is currently a purely urban phenomenon and that it does not replace public transport but rather reinforces it.

For example, 31% of car sharers have started cycling more often since giving up their own car, and 48% of bike sharers combine their weekly journey with the train.

Shared users also take the bus, tram, or train much more often than the average Flemish person. The vehicles are often used to fill “gaps” in the NMBS/SNCB or De Lijn timetable, for example, in the evening or for the last few kilometers home.

And where more vehicles are available, usage increases exponentially. Plus: each shared car takes an average of between 3 and 10 private cars off the road. In Flanders alone, this saved more than 17,000 parking spaces in 2024.

The average user is still often highly educated and male (66% for e-scooters).