Brussels (The Brussels Morning Newspaper): The Council of State suspended Brussels’ new scooter rules after a complaint allowing Glize to keep operating while reviewing the regulations’ fairness.
The Council of State recently dealt with a case brought by the Brussels scooter company Glize against the scooter regulations introduced by Minister of Mobility Elke Van den Brandt from the Groen party. These regulations were aimed at controlling the shared scooter market by setting a limit of 8,000 shared scooters in Brussels and allowing only two companies to offer them. Glize said the rules were too strict and could hurt competition. They questioned if the new rules were fair and balanced making sure there’s enough control without stopping fair competition.
How will the Council of State’s decision impact Brussels’ e-scooter market?
The Council of State stopped the new scooter rules for now because of Glize’s complaint. These rules wanted only 8,000 scooters in Brussels from two companies but that plan is on hold. The Council of State said Brussels can’t restrict how many companies can offer shared scooters. This pause lets Glize and others keep running their services while the court looks into the case more. The Council of State thinks the rules from the Brussels government might be too strict or not fair for competition. The court will check if these rules follow the law and are okay for everyone involved.
The company is now asking the court to renew its license. They say that the problems caused by shared scooters have reduced a lot since they introduced drop zones. They mention a decision made by the Council of State in April when Glize challenged the scooter rules set by Minister Elke Van den Brandt, limiting scooters to 8,000 and two providers in Brussels. The Council of State stopped the new rules because of Glize’s complaint. The company is now asking the court to renew its license. They say the problems with shared scooters have reduced a lot since they started using drop zones. Voi has about 2,500 scooters in Brussels. If they don’t get a new license they can move the scooters to other cities where they operate. The company is worried about its staff in Belgium who might lose their jobs without a new license.
