Lithuania to require scooter rental companies to provide helmets from 2026

VILNIUS - The Lithuanian parliament voted on Thursday to require electric scooter rental companies to provide helmets for all riders starting in January 2026.

Under the newly passed amendments to the Law on Road Traffic Safety, scooter and other electric micro-mobility vehicle rental operators will have to supply helmets to riders regardless of their age, the type of road, or the vehicle's power.

People riding their own scooters will also have to wear helmets.

The amendments passed with 58 votes in favor, 18 against, and 12 abstentions.

Liberal MP Andrius Bagdonas argued against the measure, saying that it would ruin a well-functioning business.

"It seems to me that this bill isn't about safety at all," he said.

Meanwhile, Social Democrat Kestutis Vilkauskas, who backed the law, said the goal was to increase rider safety.

"We have to think about the health and lives of micro-mobility users. I believe this law will bring benefits and may help reduce the number of painful incidents," he said.

Benas Jurlovas, head of Bolt's sharing services in Lithuania, told BNS last week that the company would comply if the law passed but added that implementation could take up to a year.

According to the Transport Competence Agency, 58 scooter riders were injured last year, four of whom were wearing helmets.

In 2024, police fined 1,019 scooter riders between 20 and 40 euros for not wearing helmets.

Social Democrat Julius Sabatauskas, chairman of the Committee on Legal Affairs, noted that several scooter riders have died since 2020.

Currently, helmets are mandatory for electric micro-mobility vehicle riders under 18 on all roads. Adults must wear them when riding on the main roadway, while helmets are only recommended elsewhere.