TOP STORIES 🔥

⛑️ No Helmet, No Ride ?

Mandatory helmet legislation is spreading across Europe — and the shared mobility sector is learning that how a law is drafted matters as much as whether it exists at all.

The most operator-friendly outcome comes from carve-outs. Belgium initially alarmed the sector before the government clarified that shared e-scooters, already capped at 20 km/h, are exempt from the new rule targeting faster devices. A close call — and a reminder that blanket legislation written with private vehicles in mind can hit shared operators as collateral damage.

Where helmets are required without exemption, the operational headache is real and immediate. Lithuania's experience this season is the starkest evidence yet: within just three weeks of the mandatory helmet rule coming into force, around 1,500 Bolt helmets had been stolen. Providing helmets at scale means absorbing significant theft, logistics, and replacement costs — with no guarantee riders will actually use them, and no easy way to enforce compliance at the point of rental.

The sector faces a binary choice: lobby hard for carve-outs before laws are finalised, or build helmet provision into the operating model and price it in.

🔃 Groningen Hits Reset on Shared Mobility

From 1 March 2026, Groningen has relaunched its entire shared two-wheeler network with a new permit round, a fleet expansion, and a first: shared electric cargo bikes.

The headline addition is 50 cargobikes operated by Moby, bookable via app and returned to the same fixed location. The city is backing the launch with a two-year guarantee fund to support Moby's ramp-up — a clear signal that Groningen sees cargo bikes as a strategic bet, not a niche experiment.

On e-bikes, Bolt loses its permit. Voi and Dott each take 400 vehicles, bringing the total shared e-bike fleet to 800. Check retains the moped concession.

The city's framing is deliberate: shared mobility as a substitute for private vehicle ownership, not just a last-mile add-on. Alderman Philip Broeksma puts it plainly: "Shared mobility replaces other forms of transport. It helps keep Groningen accessible and liveable as the city grows."

LAUNCHES & EXPANSIONS 🚀

Beryl
Launch in Canterbury (GB) 🚲 (100)

BiciMad
Upcoming expansion in Madrid (ES) 🚲 (+20 stations)

Dott
Launch in …

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PAUSES & EXITS ⛔️

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TENDER WATCH 👀

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CITY UPDATES 🌐

Belgium (BE) | Helmets should become mandatory for scooter riders, but not on shared ones.

Biella (IT) | VAIMOO’s bike-share service should be more deeply integrated with public transports.

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INDUSTRY NEWS 🗞️

Bolt adds an in-app Riding Score feature to promote safe riding and parking in Latvia (LV)

Bolt reports 70% of helmets theft on scooters in 3 weeks in Lithuania (LT).

Dott upgrades its fleet in the West of England (GB), St. Gallen (CH) and Hamburg (DE).

Forest invests €14k to sponsor Islington’s Adult Cycle Training programme, and strengthens its partnership with Hammersmith & Fulham Council.

JCDecaux and RATP requests for compensation on the 2017 Vélib' tender have been rejected.

nextbike expands its partnership with sport subscription company Multisport in Poland (PL).

RideMovi secures a pool financing backed by a consortium of Italian banks.

Svišť, the Slovakian leading operator, acquires Dutch counterpart Bondi.

Estonian operator Tuul has filed for bankruptcy.