Bike and scooter-sharing service Lime has announced it will suspend its services in Brussels as of midnight tonight after its operating license was deemed to be non-compliant.
Lime – which is affiliated with Uber - was forced to stop operating in the city when its operating license expired on 3 July following a decision by Brussels authorities to limit the number of bike and scooter-sharing services operating in Brussels.
After its licence expired, Lime withdrew 6,000 of its scooters and bikes from Brussels and anyone trying to rent a Lime scooter or bike via the Lime or Uber apps was greeted with a message saying, “Lime is no longer operating in Brussels. The Brussels authorities have forced Lime to suspend service in the city."
Days after the withdrawal in July, an anonymous company stepped in to help the firm by transferring its operating license to Lime. However, the company confirmed today that the shared license did not comply with regulations.
In a statement, a Lime spokesperson said: "Lime relaunched its scooter service in Brussels earlier this summer, following the expiry of its permit in early July, through a licence transfer from another operator. However, this transfer has now been deemed non-compliant.
"As a result, we have contacted the Brussels Region to explore a compromise until the Council of State issues its ruling. In the meantime, and pending a solution, Lime will suspend its service as of midnight tonight."
Years of legal wrangling
In December, the Council of State will issue its final ruling on the matter, following years of legal wrangling dating back to 2023, when Brussels authorities took the decision to reduce the number of scooter and bike-sharing operators in Brussels.
Lime and Voi took the decision to court, claiming that the accelerated selection procedure was not transparent, and that Brussels had not been able to make a thorough and fair analysis of the applications of the 15 operators in less than 30 days.
In January, a Brussels court granted Lime and Voi a short reprieve, stating that they could continue to offer their e-scooters until their licences expired.
In a ruling handed down in July, the Council of State implicitly ruled that the Brussels government's decision was valid, meaning Lime could no longer offer its services.
Lime has vowed to continue fighting the decision. "The Council of State has yet to rule on the legality of the micromobility tender in Brussels," said a Lime spokesperson. "Depending on the outcome of this pending case, Lime may have the opportunity to resume serving residents and visitors for good in the coming months."
