E-scooter firms push back as expert says cars are the bigger problem – Portugal Resident
As shared e-scooters face increased scrutiny across Portugal, operators and urban mobility experts are pushing back against the idea that removing them will make cities safer.
Bolt, Lime and Bird say they have repeatedly adapted their services to meet changing municipal rules, while urban planner Frederico Moura e Sá argues that scooters have become an “enemy to be eliminated” in cities where the much bigger issue – dependence on the private car – remains largely untouched.
The debate comes as several councils rethink shared micromobility. Braga is removing its entire shared e-scooter fleet, while Vila Nova de Gaia and Espinho have also ended services. Porto, Lisbon and Coimbra are considering their own approaches following concerns over safety, parking and the use of scooters in public spaces.
But the three major operators told Lusa that simply removing scooters risks overlooking the underlying problems.
“We have consistently adapted our operations as municipal rules have evolved,” Bolt, Lime and Bird said, pointing to cooperation with councils including Lisbon and Porto.
They argue that road safety should focus more broadly on dangerous driving, poor infrastructure and effective enforcement, rather than singling out one form of transport.
‘We’re not discussing scooters’
Moura e Sá takes a similar argument further, saying the controversy is really about what Portuguese cities want their streets to be for.
“We’re not discussing scooters. We’re discussing what public space we have in a city – in other words, what model of city we want,” said the urban planner, university lecturer and researcher.
In his view, scooters have become an easy target because they have been introduced into an urban environment that remains “profoundly motorised”.
“Riding a bicycle or a scooter in public space is still an act of survival” in Portugal, he said.
The reason cyclists and scooter users often end up on pavements, he argues, is partly because they do not feel safe travelling alongside cars on the road.
“Basically, we have a hyper-motorised society. Broadly speaking, three out of every four journeys are made by car,” Moura e Sá said.
“We have normalised the use of the car. Public space is for the car, full stop.”
He believes Portuguese cities have been slow to follow other European urban centres in reducing car traffic in central areas well served by public transport and giving more space to pedestrians, bicycles and other forms of mobility.
Operators admit parking is a problem
The scooter companies do acknowledge one of the most common complaints: vehicles being left badly parked on pavements and other public spaces.
They say measures already introduced include mandatory photographs at the end of journeys, AI-assisted parking checks, user-rating systems, penalties and teams responding to reports of badly parked vehicles.
But they argue that technology and enforcement can only go so far if municipalities do not provide enough dedicated parking areas.
The companies say they are willing to work with councils – including through possible joint investment in scooter parking infrastructure.
They also want more protected space for pedestrians, cyclists and micromobility users, saying this would reduce conflicts between different forms of transport and help keep pavements clear.
Municipalities take a different view
For several councils, however, the problems have become serious enough to justify stopping the services.
In Braga, shared scooters are being removed after mayor João Rodrigues said they had become “more of a problem than an advantage”.
The city recorded more than 40 accidents involving scooters and bicycles this year, with the mayor saying most involved scooters and young people under 18.
The popularity of the service had also soared, from 32,000 journeys in 2023 to 144,000 last year.
Espinho ended shared bicycle and scooter services in July, citing disorder and concerns over public-space safety, while Gaia cancelled a planned concession earlier this year.
In Porto, authorities are studying scooter use and associated accidents following a fatal incident in April.
Coimbra mayor Ana Abrunhosa has meanwhile said the city currently “does not have the conditions” for shared scooters, although a new concession and regulations are being prepared.
In Lisbon, the Automóvel Club de Portugal has gone further by proposing a municipal referendum on whether shared scooters should be removed – an idea opposed by Bolt, Lime and Bird.
‘The real problem is cars’
Mário Alves, from road-safety association Estrada Viva, also believes scooters are receiving a disproportionate amount of attention.
He acknowledged that people break rules while using them but argued that this should not distract from where Portugal’s most serious road danger lies.
“The real problem is cars,” he told Lusa.
National Road Safety Authority figures show that 4,296 accidents involving bicycles and similar vehicles – a category that includes scooters – were recorded in 2025, causing 28 deaths.
By comparison, accidents involving cars, heavy vehicles and motorcycles totalled 57,195 and resulted in 352 deaths.
