GIRA Stalemate on the Streets of Lisbon: Broken Stations, Stolen Bicycles and Ending Patience

In the middle of the daily hustle and bustle in Lisbon, when you head to the station to get to work, home or have a coffee, the sight you encounter has started to annoy many of us: Boards with screens removed, locks forcibly torn from their housings and empty stations. The city's bike-sharing network, GIRA, has been struggling with an unprecedented wave of vandalism since the last months of 2025, and unfortunately, the situation on the street is getting worse with each passing day.

The latest data from EMEL clearly reveals the gravity of the situation. More than 700 cases of vandalism were recorded this year alone. Currently, more than 30 stations across the city are completely out of use and the direct damage caused is around 400 thousand euros.

What's Happening on the Field? The Repaired Place Breaks Again

The incident has now gone beyond a simple case of misusing a bicycle. Station covers are smashed, cables are cut and electronic sensors are destroyed in order to steal bicycles directly.

The situation has turned into a vicious circle, especially along the Avenida Almirante Reis axis, which is considered the lifeblood between Alameda and Baixa. In central areas such as Arroios and Santa Maria Maior, crews repair and commission the station, only to be torn apart again a few days later.

This year alone, the number of scaffoldings forcibly removed reached 1,400, and the number of bicycles left out of the system by this method reached 1,000. It takes an average of one week to completely repair a station; This means thousands of hours of service loss and thousands of users left empty-handed on the street.

3 Million Euro Invoice Since 2017

There were also problems when the system was first installed in 2017; Bicycles would be abandoned somewhere or their parts would be damaged. However, this latest wave directly targets infrastructure. The total expenditure and loss incurred since the system started has exceeded 3 million euros.

The most critical transfer points are currently not operating, from Benfica train station to Gare do Oriente, from the Carnide metro to the main stops along Almirante Reis.

EMEL officials state that they have installed new parts that are more break-resistant and will introduce additional mechanical lock systems to the bicycles. However, it is quite difficult to feel the speed of these steps on the field; As technical interventions continue, stations continue to remain closed.

App Troubles and Averted Users

The issue doesn't just end with broken locks. There are those chronic problems that everyone who uses this system regularly knows:

Official mobile app that closes on its own and constantly asks for re-login.

Bicycles at stations that do not unlock even though they appear to be solid and fully charged,

Customer service cannot be reached or support e-mails remain unanswered.

Although the number of users seems to be balancing on paper as new arrivals to the city register to the system, permanent users who rely on GIRA for their daily transportation lose confidence and cancel their subscriptions one by one. It has become commonplace to see "I had to walk again today" posts every day on social media and forums.

What Does the Municipal Front Say?

While the process is so blocked, the silence on the part of the local government is remarkable. Only PCP Councilor João Ferreira from the opposition raised the issue with an official petition, asking what to do against the collapse in the system.

Mayor Carlos Moedas, on the other hand, in a television broadcast he attended recently, referred to the video of a victimized user and merely said, "I'm sorry, this should not have happened, but unfortunately there is a lot of vandalism." But the reality on the street requires much more than a dry apology, deterrent security measures and a fast-track repair operation on site.

Source: Mario Rui André / LPP (Lisboa Para Pessoas), EMEL data

Images: LPP, EMEL