Van den Brandt calls for tighter federal rules on private e-scooters

Brussels Mobility Minister Elke Van den Brandt called for tougher federal rules on privately owned electric scooters in remarks reported from Brussels on 9 September 2026 by [BX1, carrying Belga reporting](https://bx1.be/categories/news/elke-van-den-brandt-appelle-a-des-regles-plus-strictes-pour-les-trottinettes-privees/). The report describes an appeal for action, without an adopted measure or implementation timetable.

Updated: 9 September 2026, 19:29 CEST.

Van den Brandt said regulation of private scooters belongs to the federal government. She put the risk of a serious accident at ten times that of cycling, blaming the way riders are thrown forward. BX1 does not identify the underlying study, exposure measure or injury definition. Belgium Pulse has not independently established that comparison; it remains the minister’s attributed claim.

Separate evidence documents a substantial safety problem. In its [December 2025 road-safety barometer](https://www.vias.be/fr/newsroom/forte-hausse-du-nombre-daccidents-de-deux-roues-au-cours-des-9-premiers-mois-de-lannee/), the Vias institute recorded 1,849 injury crashes involving e-scooters across Belgium during the first nine months of 2025, against 1,293 in the equivalent 2024 period. That is a 43% increase. These are crash counts, however, not a comparison of the danger of individual scooter and bicycle journeys. The published table also does not separate privately owned scooters from rental fleets.

The distinction between ownership models matters as Brussels prepares to end shared-scooter services. The STIB’s mobility app [Floya confirms a January 2027 ban](https://floya.brussels/fr/news/floya-restera-disponible-jusquau-31-decembre-2026/) in explaining changes to its offering. That announcement concerns shared mobility; it does not establish a prohibition on residents using their own scooters.

Belgium already tightened scooter rules in 2022. The [federal government’s explanation](https://www.belgium.be/fr/actualites/2022/trottinettes_electriques_de_nouvelles_regles_pour_une_circulation_plus_sure) sets out a general minimum age of 16, with specified exceptions, bans passengers and pavement riding, and requires riders to follow cycling rules. It describes the relevant vehicle category as having a maximum design speed of 25 km/h. Any new proposal therefore needs to specify what it adds to existing restrictions.

The safety debate also includes measures short of prohibition. In its December barometer, Vias backed compulsory helmets for e-scooter users alongside broader promotion of helmets for two-wheel travel. That is a recommendation, not evidence that a new obligation has taken effect.

The next reporting questions are concrete: whether the federal government responds, which restrictions it proposes and what evidence supports them. The sources reviewed establish no federal response or legislative deadline for this latest appeal.