In Florence, from 1 April 2026, sharing scooters will disappear from the streets. After years of experimentation and two extensions, the Municipality has established that there are no longer the conditions to maintain a stable service. The choice arises from the combination of two factors: the new rules introduced at national level and a series of critical issues encountered in the daily use of the vehicles.
The mayor Sara Funaro and the councilor for Mobility Andrea Giorgio reiterated that road safety remains an absolute priority. Recent changes to the Highway Code, which impose the obligation to wear helmets for everyone, together with identification badge and insurance coverage, make the service very difficult to manage with the free flow scheme. The operators, in fact, have shown difficulty in guaranteeing the availability of helmets on each vehicle, a necessary condition to allow use in compliance with the law.
Also weighing on the decision is the issue of urban decorum and the lack of respect for the rules by many users. Scooters are often left parked improperly, creating obstructions on sidewalks and cycle paths. There is no shortage of cases of driving against traffic, on pavements or in prohibited areas. For the administration, this represents a condition that leads to a “potential systematic violation of the Code”, deemed no longer acceptable.
We are moving towards strengthening bike sharing
The stop to scooters does not mean a reduction in shared mobility: on the contrary, the Municipality aims to strengthen bike sharing, a service which has recorded extraordinary results in recent years. In 2024, 1.5 million rentals were exceeded, and in the first months of 2025 a further growth of 18% was seen. More vehicles are planned, especially muscle pedal bicycles, together with a renewal of the fleets and incentives for those who use public services.
The Municipality gives companies until March 31, 2026 to definitively close operations: removal of vehicles, termination of relationships with users and disposal of IT systems. Florence is therefore moving towards more regulated shared mobility, concentrated on tools considered safer, more controllable and more suitable for regulatory compliance.
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