Inquiry to Recommend Age Ban and Licensing for E-Bikes and E-Scooters
Queensland’s parliament is poised to recommend sweeping changes to how personal electric vehicles are regulated, including banning children under 16 from riding electric bicycles (e-bikes) and electric scooters (e-scooters) and requiring riders to hold at least a driver’s licence to operate them. The recommendations stem from a long-running parliamentary inquiry into e-mobility safety and use, prompted by rising injuries, hospital presentations, and fatalities involving young riders.
Under this proposal, anyone aged 16 or older would need to hold a valid driver’s licence, such as a learner driver licence, which involves passing an online road rules exam, before riding an e-bike or e-scooter on public roads and paths.
Safety Concerns at the Heart of the Debate
The inquiry, established in mid-2025, received more than 1,200 submissions and held 17 public hearings, with experts, medical professionals, road safety advocates and community members giving evidence on the risks posed by micromobility devices.
Supporters of tougher regulation highlighted mounting data showing significant injuries and hospital admissions involving children and young people, with personal mobility devices contributing to a growing burden on emergency departments. Doctors from the Australian Medical Association Queensland (AMAQ) told the inquiry that the influx of e-scooter and e-bike traumas is stressing already overworked hospital staff.
Under current Queensland rules, children aged 12 to 15 can ride personal mobility devices if supervised, and there is no licence requirement for e-bikes, though e-scooters must comply with age and supervision limits.
Trigger Events: Injuries and Fatalities Raise Alarm
The push for reform has been shaped by shocking incidents across the state. High-profile cases, including the death of an eight-year-old boy in an e-bike crash on the Sunshine Coast, fuelled public concern and political pressure for action.
Medical case reports and advocacy campaigns have also spotlighted injuries among young riders. For example, research from earlier inquiries revealed hundreds of hospital presentations for e-scooter injuries among children, underscoring the human cost behind the statistics.
Public Health and Road Safety Backing the Changes
Health experts have strongly backed the inquiry’s push for stricter age thresholds and licensing. Proponents argue that requiring road awareness and safety understanding — demonstrated through a licence exam — could help older riders navigate shared paths and busy urban environments more safely.
AMAQ and other safety advocates have also called for mandatory certified helmets and other protective equipment for all micromobility riders, alongside greater investment in infrastructure such as separated bike and scooter lanes.
Opposition Voices and Industry Concerns
Not all stakeholders agree with the inquiry’s recommendations. Bicycle Queensland, an advocacy group representing cyclists, criticised the licensing proposal as poorly thought through, arguing that e-bikes, in particular, are a valuable mobility option for teenagers and that the focus should be on education and infrastructure rather than regulatory barriers.
Industry groups and some community members also warned that overly restrictive rules could discourage the use of e-bikes, which supporters say offer environmental and urban mobility benefits.
Next Steps: Government Response and Legislative Path
The Queensland government — which initiated the inquiry at the behest of Premier David Crisafulli and amid broader road safety concerns — now has three months to formally respond to the findings once the report is released.
Government officials are expected to weigh both safety imperatives and public feedback as they consider legislative changes. If adopted, the recommendations could make Queensland one of the most regulated jurisdictions in Australia for e-mobility devices.
Broader National Context
Queensland’s review comes amid a wider national conversation about the regulation of micromobility devices, with other states and territories examining similar concerns. South Australia and Victoria have different age and use rules, and Western Australia recently introduced its own e-rideable safety reforms.
As personal mobility devices continue to proliferate — both private and shared e-scooters and e-bikes — the inquiry’s recommendations spotlight the challenge of balancing innovation, convenience and safety in Australian cities and suburbs.
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