The Scooter Era is Ending on the Streets of Braga: All Will Be Collected by Tuesday

The end of the road has come in Braga for electric scooters for rent, which we have been used to seeing in almost every corner on the streets of Portugal for a while. The municipality decided to completely suspend the service, stating that these vehicles have now turned into a mess rather than making life easier. Bolt, the only operator in the city, will completely collect approximately 600 scooters from the streets by Tuesday.

In fact, the process started in June. The city council had given the operator a 60-day period to remove the fleet, and we have come to the end of that period. All vehicles on the field will be withdrawn between August 31st and September 1st.

"It has become more of a problem than a convenience"

Mayor João Rodrigues clearly states that the main reason behind this decision is the increasing number of accidents and the random, unruly use of vehicles. More than 40 accidents involving scooters and bicycles have been recorded this year alone. The annoying part is that most of these accidents involve young people under the age of 18.

When we look at the numbers, it is not difficult to understand why the situation has reached this point. The system, which started eight years ago with only about 100 vehicles, has now reached a fleet of 600 vehicles. Usage rates have exploded; The number of trips, which was 32 thousand in 2023, jumped to 144 thousand last year. The city was not ready for such rapid growth and the lack of control it brought.

Sidewalks will breathe a sigh of relief

With vehicles left randomly on pedestrian paths, lack of supervision and rule violations, even walking on the street sometimes became a problem. The municipality saw that it was not possible to ensure security and establish an effective control mechanism under the current conditions and chose to terminate the contract without incurring any additional costs.

Most of the political parties in the parliament also stood behind the decision. For now, this system is completely stopped; It is not known whether a new model will come with much stricter rules in the future, but it looks like the streets and sidewalks of Braga will breathe a little, at least for a while.

Source: Michael Bruxo / Portugal Resident (with data from Lusa)

Photo: Bolt