A license will be required to offer rental services of engine-powered scooters and bicycles in Brussels

Companies and other start-ups who want to offer rental services of bicycles, scooters or other engine-powered two-wheeled vehicles will soon need to have a license to do so. The Brussels Parliament adopted unanimously on Friday a draft order to this effect.

In the last two years new operators began to offer rental services of engine-powered scooters and bicycles without a proper legal framework. This in turn generated its share of problems in the public space because the gear was left “parked” practically anywhere, especially on sidewalks, without any concern for others.

In the draft are included: scooters, electric or not, mopeds and motorcycles, and boards equipped with two parallel wheels, also known as hoverboards. In short all the vehicles that can be parked on the sidewalks, according to the code of the road.

In the future, only operators who have acquired a license will be allowed to operate in the city. Licensing and operating conditions will be further developed in a government order to respond to the rapid evolution of the market and technology. The aim is to limit the impact of this mode of transport on public spaces, road safety, public health and the environment.