Changes have been announced following the addition signed on Monday to the contract between the Lisbon City Council (CML) and the five shared scooter operators in the city, initially established in January 2023, introducing new rules for these vehicles.
Lisbon residents holding a Navegante pass will soon be able to use shared scooters for free, similar to the existing system with the Gira bike network and access to some parking lots. According to the city council, this initiative marks “another step towards integrating soft mobility into the public transport system.”
“However, the free use will not be immediate. Operators estimate that implementing this change will take ‘up to two months’ due to the necessary technical integration with the Lisbon Metropolitan Transport systems, which manage the Navegante pass,” stated the CML, predicting the measure to be effective by September.
The Navegante pass, available monthly, offers access to all public transportation in the city, including Carris, Lisbon Metro, and CP – Comboios de Portugal.
The contract amendment between CML and the scooter operators also includes an expansion of restricted zones for scooter circulation.
“From now on, besides bus lanes, these vehicles will be prohibited from operating in gardens, pedestrian-only zones, and central roads like Avenida da Liberdade,” the CML reported, explaining that the restriction will be enforced digitally through georeferencing, disabling vehicle operation in designated areas.
In a statement on the CML website, Deputy Mayor Filipe Anacoreta Correia (CDS-PP), responsible for Mobility, remarked that these changes “improve public space” and make the Navegante pass “a fully satisfactory mobility alternative,” encouraging Lisbon inhabitants to “opt out of car use.”
Since 2023, several measures have been implemented by the city council to regulate scooter usage, noting “the creation of mandatory parking ‘hotspots,’ speed limits set at a maximum of 20 km/h, and a 73% reduction in available vehicles.”
To manage “the chaos” caused by scooter traffic, the city council and operators have agreed on a maximum contingent of vehicles, set at 1,500 per operator during winter and increasing to 1,750 in spring and summer.
“Currently, there are about six thousand authorized scooters in operation in Lisbon,” stated the CML. The current mandate (2021-2025) is led by Carlos Moedas (PSD), governing without a majority.
In January 2023, Carlos Moedas highlighted that the agreement with operators addresses the three primary issues identified in the use of these vehicles—parking, the excessive number of scooters in Lisbon, and excessive speed—while a municipal regulation on scooters is in progress.
