Due to a recent ruling by the Council of State, all bike- and e-scooter-sharing operator in Brussels will lose their licenses on September 1. In response, Brussels Mobility announced that it is inviting all operators in the sector to a mid-August meeting.
But it now appears that the Brussels government is aiming for a transition period involving all stakeholders, including the “disadvantaged competitor” Lime. According to BRUZZ, Lime would also be allowed to offer bike-sharing services.
The American shared mobility company had challenged the licenses of its competitors, Bolt, Dott, and Voi, before the Council of State because it was left out of the distribution of bike and e-scooter permits in 2023.
4th player, or no one
The Brussels government is thus attempting to resolve the impasse and the conflict by giving the party that took the matter to court the opportunity to offer bike-sharing services on its own after September 1. This would serve as an interim solution to keep the bike-sharing service operational after that date, pending a new, definitive licensing procedure.
According to BRUZZ, the Brussels government is taking a firm stance on this and is using it as a stick to get all parties on board. “If the other providers were to refuse, we would revoke everyone’s license.
Nobody wants that, it quotes a source familiar with one-on-one consultations with the two shared scooter operators, Bolt and Dott, and the third party, Lime – apparently, Voi, which, unlike Bolt and Dott, had not been selected as a shared e-scooter operator, was not involved in the discussions.
Brussels Mobility Minister Elke Van den Brandt (Groen) also emphasizes on the multimedia company’s website that the goal is for bike-sharing to remain an integral part of Brussels’ mobility system, without any interruption in service for users.
“Discussions with the operators are proceeding constructively and calmly, with an eye toward the consultation meeting scheduled for mid-August,” she adds. “We are actively working on a transitional solution for the users of these services.”
Transition period of up to four months
Consequently, it remains unclear exactly what the transition period will look like, including the role of shared e-scooters, even though they are set to disappear from the streets by September 2027.
The only thing that is clear at this point is that the government is still aiming for a transition period of up to four months, which could therefore include Lime. But for more news on this, we’ll have to wait for those consultations in mid-August.
Lime itself is also keeping details of the recent discussions under wraps for now. Sofie Staelraeve, head of public affairs for Benelux at Lime, told BRUZZ that they “cannot comment on the situation at this time.”
