Lime and Voi go to court because Brussels doesn't choose its scooters

“Legal guerrilla warfare”

Van den Brandt also spoke about the legal controversy in the Brussels parliament on Tuesday morning. “It is disappointing because we consulted with the operators extensively before issuing the tender,” she said. “They all agreed that the number of scooters in Brussels should be limited and promised to play the game ethically.”

Minister Green also noted that “in this legal war, he will defend the reform of the scooter sector, which is essential for pedestrians and especially for people with limited mobility.”

Lime and Voi – to be clear – are only concerned with selecting sharing step operators. The companies do not object to the decision regarding other modes of mobility. Voi, like Bolt and Dott, may tender 2,500 shared bikes as of Thursday, a tender that has a procedure similar to that for shared scooters that the company has chosen not to accept.

“The procedure was correct”

As a reminder, seven operators participated in the public tender. Unlike Lime and Voi, Poppy – which still offers a car-sharing service in Brussels – does not intend to appeal the decision. “We were well aware of the rules beforehand,” says marketing director Pierre de Schetzen. “Everyone was in favor of a decision like this, because it was not possible to work with almost a dozen players in the market.”

According to them, it is unfortunate that Bobby did not succeed in this, but the procedure was correct. “We lost and immediately took the scooters off the market,” says De Schaetzen. The vehicles were transported to Antwerp. However, if the opportunity arises, Poppy will once again try to conquer the Brussels market with shared scooters. “If the public tender is cancelled, we will participate in the next round anyway.”

Brussels shared scooter provider previously went to the Council of State

Meanwhile, another action is also underway regarding the tender for shared scooters in Brussels. In the spring of 2023, Brussels entrepreneurs from the scooter-sharing company Gliize went to the Council of State because they did not agree that their permit could be withdrawn, and a response is expected soon.

“We consciously chose not to participate in the tender procedures,” says co-founder Sami Luka. “Anyone who does so automatically loses their permit.”

The statement forms the core of the Brussels businessmen's argument before the Council of State. “We have made significant investments,” says Luca, who runs 1,000 Gliize motorcycles. “We were only able to do this because we obtained a three-year permit from the Brussels Region. And now the same government declares this permit invalid?”