As reported by Diário do Distrito, the initiative does not seek to ban privately owned electric scooters. Instead, it proposes ending commercial sharing schemes while allowing individuals to continue purchasing and using their own vehicles, provided they comply with Portuguese legislation.

Operators targeted

The petition, whose first signatory is Diogo Fernandes Sousa, argues that municipal measures have failed to adequately address the problems created by shared scooters.

According to the petition, vehicles are regularly abandoned on pavements and in other pedestrian areas, potentially obstructing people with reduced mobility, blind or partially sighted pedestrians, elderly people, children and parents pushing prams.

This petition also claims that the large number of scooters made immediately available through smartphone applications can encourage irresponsible behaviour and make enforcement more difficult.

The organisers are therefore calling for a single national framework that would prohibit the commercial operation of shared electric scooter systems across Portugal.

They also want operators to be required to remove their vehicles at their own expense if the services are discontinued, alongside stronger enforcement of the rules governing scooter use.

Sustainable mobility

The debate comes as some Portuguese municipalities reassess their approach to shared micromobility.

In June, Braga became one of the most significant recent examples when its municipal executive approved the cancellation of agreements with the operators of shared electric scooters in the city, following a rise in incidents involving both the circulation and parking of the vehicles.

The Municipality of Braga revealed that PSP data recorded 37 road accidents involving electric scooters during the first half of 2026, which resulted in 33 injuries, including two serious injuries.

Furthermore, around 500 shared scooters owned by two companies had been available across approximately 240 sharing points in the municipality. The operators were given a maximum of 60 days to remove the scooters from the municipality.

Braga said the suspension was intended to provide time to develop new rules capable of balancing sustainable mobility with safety, accessibility and the quality of public spaces.

Regulatory approach

Meanwhile, Lisbon has pursued a more regulatory approach rather than an outright ban.

The city’s rules have included a 20 km/h speed limit, restrictions on where shared scooters can circulate and designated parking areas, while operators have also been required to prevent users from ending a journey when a scooter has been left outside an authorised parking location.

This issue has nevertheless remained politically contentious, as Lisbon’s municipal assembly previously recommended that the city publish and advance a dedicated regulation for shared scooters and other forms of shared soft mobility.

Earlier research and reporting have also highlighted the environmental debate surrounding shared scooters. While they can replace some short car journeys, their manufacturing, collection, charging and maintenance can reduce their environmental advantage compared with assumptions based solely on the absence of tailpipe emissions.

National solution

The latest initiative argues that the differing approaches taken by municipalities are not enough and that the problem should instead be addressed at the national level.

Its proponents point to cities that have restricted or ended shared scooter services as evidence that local regulation may not always resolve concerns surrounding parking, accessibility, safety and enforcement.

This proposal is aimed specifically at the commercial sharing model, rather than electric scooters themselves.

The petition is currently available for public signatures through the Petição Pública platform.