Operators VOI, Dott, Bolt and Poppy say vandals destroyed or burned at least 60 shared bicycles, e-scooters and one car-sharing vehicle during the nationwide protest in Brussels on 9 October. The Polish-language portal Aktualnosci.be reported on Saturday that repair and replacement costs already top €80,000, not including lost revenue. The violence marks a worrying escalation: a VOI student worker was attacked while swapping batteries, prompting companies to pull ground staff off the streets. Brussels Mobility normally sends the planned protest route to operators so they can geofence risk zones, but the scale of Friday’s unrest made it impossible to remove all 6,500 vehicles in time. Insurance is unlikely to cover the losses. "No Belgian underwriter will give us comprehensive cover for civil unrest," VOI country manager Yessin Aattache told reporters. Operators say costs will eventually be passed on to users through higher per-minute fees—bad news for commuters who turned to micro-mobility when the metro shut down. The sector fears Monday, 12 October could be worse, as another union action is planned. Companies are negotiating with Brussels Mobility for temporary no-parking zones and police escorts for recovery vans. If the talks fail, operators may deactivate entire city zones, forcing riders back onto an already strained public-transport system.
Source: Aktualnosci.be
