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Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas announced on Thursday that he intended to suspend the shared e-scooter scheme in the Portuguese capital.
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In a video posted on his social media, Moedas called the scheme a “disgrace” and said it was “not working.”
“This is a disgrace and it is going to stop. The system as it stands is not working. Scooters are being ridden the wrong way down streets, people are behaving dangerously, accidents are on the rise, and scooters are being left abandoned in public spaces,” he said in the video.
Moedas added that the city council had been collecting more than 1,200 scooters a month.
“That is why we have taken the decision. We are going to suspend the shared scooter system in Lisbon,” he said.
The decision comes after the Automobile Club of Portugal (ACP) launched a petition in August with a view to holding a local referendum on “the future of shared scooters” in Lisbon, as reported by Euronews at the time.
The idea was to allow residents to express their views on whether or not they agreed “that the Lisbon City Council” should cease “to authorise the operation of electric scooter-sharing schemes in the municipal public domain once the current licences have expired.”
In an interview with the Now outlet on Thursday, the mayor indicated that he would present the proposal at a council meeting, expressing hope that the Socialist Party, which also voted in favour of a similar suspension in Braga, would support the decision, so that an “immediate suspension of shared scooters” in the city could be implemented.
The issue is set to be discussed at a council meeting on 21 October.
There are currently three companies operating in the sector in the Portuguese capital: Bolt, Lime, and Bird.
