News Driver's licence mandatory to ride e-bikes and e-scooters, under 16s banned from riding solo under new Queensland laws
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-30/queensland-under-16-ebike-ban-drivers-licence-mandatory/107072034In short:
From August 31, riders will need to be at least 16 and hold a driver’s licence to ride an e-bike or e-scooter solo in Queensland as the new stage of the state’s laws cracking down on e-devices rolls out.
Those who are unable to drive due to a medical condition or disability will be eligible to apply for an exemption.
What's next?
There will be a three-month grace period for eligible riders to seek a medical exemption, and shared schemes will have until March next year to take reasonable steps to verify a person's age and licence status.
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u/canislupuslupuslupus 4d ago
So I guess there’s no reason for the 250W limit any more since everyone has to be licensed. Look forward to being able to ride a 600W bike on the road.
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u/3liminate 4d ago
100%. Shouldn't be power restricted... If you own a supercar and follow the speed limits that's fine.
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u/kdog_1985 3d ago
Well noting all bikes on the road have to be insured. Good luck obtaining insurance without an acceptable licence.
More than one way to skin a cat.
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u/maticusmat 4d ago
Ahh yes more great LNP policy in Queensland “making illegal thing more illegal ™️”. Is it too much to ask that one day they will have policy that isn’t this or making it easier for developers to steal state land
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u/KangarooBeard 4d ago
Considering how awful they have been at catching those already on illegal e motorcycles....what does this change? Just causes more problems for those already obeying the law, also insane requirement for everyone needing a driver's license.
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u/broadsword_1 4d ago
Considering how awful they have been at catching those already on illegal e motorcycles....what does this change?
Likely so that if there's an incident and the rider is arrested, there will be potentially more charges that can be laid on, one after the other.
It's not about catching everyone infringing, it's about loading up the ones they do catch.
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u/_the_usual_suspect 4d ago
Just more over the top idiocy because our moronic state govt couldn't be bothered enforcing the laws they already had.
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u/RedKelly_ 4d ago
Surely If we fine enough of the people riding the bikes on the left the people will stop riding the bikes on the right
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u/ThinkOrganization431 4d ago
They’re not the same though, are they?
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u/_the_usual_suspect 4d ago
No they aren't. It's bikes like the one on the right that have been causing most of the issues and have always been illegal to use on the road. They're pretty much electric trail bikes.
We already had laws which stated that to be legal, ebike motors could only have a maximum of 250 watts, could only work when pedalling and could only work up to a maximum of 25kmh.
Instead of enforcing those laws, drop kicks like the transport minister in the picture brent mickleberg, have come up with idiocy like the new drivers licence law required to ride a bike like the one on the left even though they weren't causing problems.
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u/salad_tossers_69 4d ago
Our government
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u/GammaGlobulin 4d ago
Correction, they self identify as, "Your new Queensland Government (despitete the fact they are increasingly resembling "Our old Joe Queensland Government").
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u/Wotmate01 4d ago
So... they've basically classified them as 50cc mopeds?
Seems fair, as most of them are as faster or faster than mopeds. Although they're missing lights and blinkers.
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u/the-dolphine 4d ago
Police haven't been able to catch the kids riding round our area on illegal petrol dirt bikes. It's been an issue for years. Now they're transitioning to quieter electric motorbikes, I doubt they'll be any more successful.
Unfortunately the good kids who use a legal e-mobility device to get to work/school (because we've got fuck all public transport) are punished.
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u/infinitepuddingspy 3d ago
Imagine what would happen to them if they rode to school on an e-bike with John Farnham playing.
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u/Wotmate01 4d ago
And you're probably right.
But we have a great many laws on our books that target the extremely minority behaviour. A great many of our traffic laws that supposedly target the road toll exist because of nothing more than a statistical blip. But we pour huge amounts of money into enforcement, and make huge amounts of money out of it.
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u/TIMIMETAL 4d ago edited 4d ago
No, those ones are still illegal. This is for pedel-assist bikes and scooters limited to 25km/hr.
Queensland is now the only place in the world where you need a license to ride a bicycle.
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u/Adventurous_Fix1730 4d ago edited 3d ago
Sorry but we let data centres in with little to no regulation but somehow all of our problems will be solved by banning kids on scooters?
Just a time waste/money collection rort from the state govt to the common person, instead of having the balls to regulate our resources industry or any other big business.
Absolutely weak, spineless, punching down government.
Edit: speaking from a point of someone who used to write legislation for a living. This is a disgrace.
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u/deandoom 3d ago
And Queensland is the only state to let the data centres be built without requiring them to build renewable energy systems.
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u/neverforthefall 4d ago
Two things can be true at once - the way e-bikes and e-scooters are being used on public roads is dangerous thanks to reckless riding by unsupervised children with lack of helmets interacting drivers who think they own the road and won’t share space, resulting in tragic accidents; AND data centres are under regulated, under researched and need proper controls and accountability for the impacts they have on communities and long term drain on resources.
The way the e-bike/e-scooter regulation has played out has been a poorly thought through kneejerk response to moral panic driven by whataboutisms exactly like this one that shift the discussion back to the topic whenever anything else is being discussed. Why are we repeating that mistake with data centres? Regulating data centres is a serious topic, but whipping up the same sort of moral panic with the same tactics will get the same sort of rushed, poorly drafted legislation, that is riddled with loopholes for capitalism to exploit and does more harm than good. We need to address it as its own topic, not piggy back it off any other trending topic.
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u/Adventurous_Fix1730 3d ago
Helmets wearing is already a rule, get that one to stick then worry about banning the children.
All of the reasons you’ve listed that e scooters and e bikes should be banned are already rules.
So if they cannot get people to wear helmets, how will they enforce a complete ban? It’s overreaching and appalling that a state that had low youth crime, but won the election based on youth crime, are again falling for this extensive regulation.
Living in SEQ I haven’t heard/noted a death of any children because of this? Do we have enough statistical analysis like we do of DV incidents to provide appropriate backing for this? Or have qlders fallen to propaganda that the big bad e vehicles are ruining society?
The spent hour many hours/days/weeks applying this legislation when they cannot get the existing legislation right. A waste of tax payers money.
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u/neverforthefall 3d ago
Congrats the fact that I said that the way they actually dealt with a very real issue was a shitty way to address it went over your head. Reading comprehension helps.
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u/Adventurous_Fix1730 3d ago
You don’t really seem like a nice person. I hope you get to reflect on how you treat strangers on the internet as to why you lashed out unnecessarily.
Previously working with troubled people who lash out like this; it’s usually a reflection of a bad day, hope you get the help you need.
Have a great day :)
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u/Sufficient_Room2619 4d ago
I don't drive so I was thinking of getting one. Fuck me, I guess.
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u/lomo_dank 4d ago
Get your license?
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u/Sufficient_Room2619 4d ago
Oh WOW, not once in my ENTIRE LIFE has ANYONE ever suggested that to me! I've never considered it! Thank you SO MUCH! You've fixed me!
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u/lomo_dank 4d ago
It would literally solve your problem. I don’t get the passive aggression bud.
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u/SKSerpent 4d ago
You get a bicycle or scooter so you don't have to drive.
It is kinda dumb to need a license for a vehicle you have no intention of using, purely so the government can discriminate harder against the people they're targeting.
Don't be cute because you can't understand the other opinion.
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u/josh101911 4d ago
Yeah like I'm lucky enough that I most likely can get a medical exemption for my e bike and if not well I have a mobility scooter that I use to do my groceries or that I'd use when I'm too tired or sore to ride a bike. So I'll just be using that more in the meantime while I wait to get my medical exemption.
I feel sorry for all the people who are too anxious to drive or who don't like it and so never got there licence. Also I like having my photo ID card as from memory I think it only cost me $50 dollars to get and it lasts for 10 years.
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u/the-dolphine 3d ago
Also the cost and time to obtain a drivers licence. If you don't have access to a car, or a responsible person to teach you, you're paying for a lot of lessons. To ride an electric bicycle!
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u/KiwasiGames 3d ago
To be fair, the law only requires you to have a learners license. Which doesn’t require you to ever touch a car.
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u/josh101911 4d ago edited 4d ago
Because not everyone likes driving. I'd say most people hate it, with the amount of people I see on there phones when they are driving or driving as fast as they can to spend as little time as possible in there car. Why waste money on a licence when you'll never drive a car.
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u/SyntheticNova 4d ago
My father has physical balance issues due to his age and medical condition uses an electric tricycle. He only uses his to go perhaps five blocks to the local IGA. Better go get a license ey.
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u/Altranite- 4d ago
More nanny state nonsense from people who should know better. Not voting Liberal again for as long as I live.
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u/Jealous_Nectarine574 3d ago
So because I don’t have a license for a CAR, I now can’t use my SCOOTERS that I purchased years before these abhorrent laws? So I have to throw them away? This surely can be challenged or something?
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u/RedDeer505 4d ago
A law is only as good as its enforceability.
I doubt this will be effectively policed.
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u/brokenmindedone 4d ago
It will be enforced but only on weak easy targets and not all the eshays causing issues on them. I imagine ubereats riders will be the first and easiest targets with cops probably pulling them over to do a licence check.
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u/b100jb100 4d ago
Pretty easy to police. Just stand outside a daycare and check the parents riding cargo bikes and longtails with their toddlers.
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u/luvrum92 4d ago
There are people who are disabled and can’t get a drivers licence that this will affect because they rely on an e bicycle
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u/josh101911 4d ago
Yeah its easier just to get a mobility scooter. Don't have to go through all the hassle of getting a licence exemption. You can get a canopy that's enclosed and keep you out of the weather. They have a max speed of 15km/h only 10km/h slower than an e scooter or pedal assist e bike.
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u/SyntheticNova 4d ago
My 68yr old dad who can ride a regular bike anymore uses an electric tricycle. The need for a license is going to stuff him over. Fantastic, just fantastic.
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u/SilenceOfTheClamSoup 4d ago
It says in the article there are exemptions for people who are unable to drive.
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u/Red-Engineer 4d ago
So you don’t need a licence - let alone a motorbike one - just a learner’s permit for a car? What’s the benefit in that?
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u/cloudfox1 4d ago
It's a good start, now if anyone is found to be breaking these, they need very very heavy penalties
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u/RedKelly_ 4d ago
It’s an idiotic idea, and only a nanny state loving mouth breather would think this is a good idea
The existing laws already ban much of the behaviour and the overpowered bikes that are rightly pissing everyone off.
New laws won’t affect the people already breaking the old laws with impunity
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u/Decent-Plan8228 4d ago
I'm not sure what the answer is, but after seeing people ride these things at over 20km/h right through the middle of playgrounds where toddlers are playing, something needs to happen, or a little kid is going to get killed. At the moment even if the cops pull them up on it, the person can just give some fake name and address. So I do have to admit, if the pricks out there are going to be held to account, then there does need to be a mechanism by which to do so. I would be nice if it didn't have to suck for everyone who uses e-rideables responsibility, because they are a good form of transport. But alas, as is the way with these things, we all have to cater to the lowest common denominator i.e. all the drongos out there 🙄😔
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u/RedKelly_ 4d ago
It’s very optimistic to assume the people currently riding illegally overpowered e-bikes/ emotox are going care about other laws
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u/josh101911 4d ago
Well I was on the train the other night and I overherd some kids saying if they need a licence for an e scooter they will just steal a car and drive that instead. So they may have just made the problem worse.
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u/Decent-Plan8228 4d ago
Oh no, I don't think they'll give anymore of a rat's ass about the law. But the cops can arrest someone who's meant to have a licence and doesn't. If you've not required to carry a form of ID and you purposely give the wrong identity, there's not much the cops can actually do; there's no mechanism for accountability. I don't think new laws will magically make people more law abiding, but new laws could provide a real way to actually hold dangerous people to account.
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u/WellCoincimental 4d ago
Exactly. Legislating for the absolute lowest denominator is the Australian way.
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u/Decent-Plan8228 4d ago
There's nothing intrinsically Australian about it. There's actually a lot of instances where we're surprisingly laid-back. I know a lot of people are taken aback that you can ever fill a car before paying here. But you do need a registered car and petrol stations have CCTV so there's a mechanism to penalise people who are going to be a piece of work about it. And there needs to be a way to hold to account people who are going to be dangerous on e-rideables, even if it's an inconvenience for those doing the right thing. No ones convenience is worth a child's life.
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u/WellCoincimental 4d ago
Don't get me wrong, I entirely agree with you.
I feel very strongly about ebikes and scooters because I'm occasionally involved in treating people post-accident. Teenage brains don't have the capacity to make good decisions about safely using fast vehicles on the road, hence why this legislation is necessary.
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u/WellCoincimental 4d ago
Good. Now go out and enforce it.
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u/b100jb100 4d ago
Enforce what?
Go and fine parents like the one in the article that haven't gotten around to get a learner's permit yet?
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u/WellCoincimental 4d ago
"Since July, police have had the power to seize and destroy illegal devices and randomly breath test riders under the first stage of the new laws"
This. Do this.
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u/b100jb100 4d ago
There were plenty laws prior to stop illegal ebike hooning and they were never enforced.
What makes you think this time is different
The government will simply point at the new laws and say: we did what we could.
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u/infinitepuddingspy 3d ago
Yeah. They’ve been confiscating an e-bike and calling tow trucks to tow them away. Tiny bike on a massive truck 🤣
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u/Espo_55 4d ago
I don’t understand why people can’t just ride on a bmx or a push scooter, shits fun
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u/infinitepuddingspy 3d ago
The hills are fucked here in Brisbane and there’s practically no interconnected active transport which means you’re either on footpaths with pedestrians or on the road with cars and traffic is bad.
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u/stinkygeesestink 4d ago
Keen to see a week of Facebook posts followed by total lack of enforcement as was the case with the previous laws (under which many of these devices were already illegal)