While it’s legal in Australia to ride an e-scooter on private property, taking them out in public varies drastically from state to state. From age limits to mobile use, each state and territory has their own laws about e-scooter use in public which can make it difficult for consumers, as some fines can be more than $5000(1).
We’ve found the answers to the most common questions people have on e-scooter use and have answered them for each state and territory to help you better understand what you can and can’t do.
Before we get into it, it’s worth noting that while legislation and guidelines may not explicitly state “you cannot ride an e-scooter as though you are the only person using the road, and knock down pedestrians at your will”, basic public expectations and laws still apply. This means that you can get in trouble throughout Australia for riding in a dangerous or reckless way.
Further, it’s easy to view e-scooters and other personal mobility devices as low risk, but that does not mean that you can’t be seriously injured or even killed(2) while using one.
Between January 2022 and 2023, the Royal Melbourne Hospital’s emergency room had 256 e-scooter-related injuries present. 69% of those injured were male, nine were pedestrians, and 48% had broken bones(3).
Electric scooter legislation by state
New South Wales
The use of private e-scooters in public road and road-related areas, including footpaths and bike lanes, is illegal in NSW.
Currently, you are allowed to hire and ride an e-scooter from an approved provider at one of the six trial locations: Kogarah, Albury, Forster-Tuncurry, Wollongong, Armidale, and Lake Macquarie.
For the exact locations and further information, please go to Transport for NSW.
Age restrictions
You must be at least 16 years old to ride an e-scooter.
Safety equipment
You must wear a helmet, and you must also use the available lights and reflectors after dark.
Vehicle standards and modifications
For public use, you do not have to worry about the standards and modifications of the e-scooter because it is hired from a state-approved provider.
Speeding
You cannot exceed 20km/h on roads and 10km/h on shared paths. Further, you are not allowed to ride on roads with speed limits above 50km/h.
Mobile phone use
You are not allowed to use a mobile while riding an e-scooter.
Alcohol and drug use
You cannot ride with a BAC exceeding 0.05 or under the influence of drugs, The same penalties apply as if you were behind the wheel, these include fines of up to $5500, a license disqualification of an unlimited amount of time, and prison time up to 18 months. For more detailed information on each offence, please go to NSW Gov.
Queensland
E-scooters are classed as personal mobility devices in Queensland and you are able to use them, but you must follow all standard motorist road rules and as well some extra laws that are e-scooter-specific.
You are able to ride on footpaths and shared paths as long as there is no signage prohibiting personal mobility devices, as well as bike lanes on roads with 50km/s speed limits or less, any bike lanes that are physically separated from other lanes of traffic, local streets with no dividing lines and a speed limit of 50km/h or less.
For a detailed list of all rules and fines go to Queensland Transport.
Age restrictions
Those 12-15 years of age can ride an e-scooter only under adult supervision. Those 16 and above do not require supervision.
Safety equipment
You are required to wear a bicycle or motorbike helmet that complies with the relevant Australian standards of safety.
You do not have to wear a helmet if you are a member of a religious group that wears a headdress that makes it impractical to wear a helmet. You also don’t have to wear a helmet if you have a medical certificate stating that you cannot wear a helmet for a certain period of time for a medical reason or a physical characteristic that makes it unreasonable to do so, however you need to have the medical certificate on you when riding without a helmet.
Vehicle standards and modifications
For an e-scooter to be classed as a personal mobility device, it must be powered by an electric motor, fit the dimensions of 125cm long by 70cm wide by 135cm high or 70cm long by 125cm wide by 135cm high, weigh no more than 60kgs without a passenger, be designed for one person only, and have at least one wheel.
Speeding
You cannot exceed 12km/h on footpaths, you must also not exceed 12km/h on shared paths unless there is signage stating otherwise.
You cannot exceed 25km/h on bike or separated paths unless signage says otherwise. You cannot exceed 25km/h on any bike lanes, including physically separated ones, and local roads, however you must obey the road speed limit if it is lower.
Mobile phone use
Your phone must be in your pocket or in a pouch somewhere that you cannot see the screen, while you are moving; it is still illegal even if your phone is off, but your screen is still in your line of vision. However, you can have your phone on and mounted to your handlebar for the sole purposes of a GPS or speedometer.
Alcohol and drug use
You cannot have a BAC greater than 0.05, you cannot be under the influence of illicit drugs, and you cannot be actively drinking while riding.
Victoria
Victoria is currently extending their e-scooter trial for use in public. Many of the same road rules for bicycles apply to e-scooters. No e-scooter that has the capability of exceeding 25km/h can be used in public spaces in Victoria, any that do are considered unregistered motor vehicles.
You are restricted to only one person per e-scooter, meaning that you cannot carry a passenger and you must stay on shared paths and roads that do not have a speed limit higher than 60km/h or on bike paths.
For more information, please go to VicRoads.
Age restrictions
You must be 16 years of age.
Safety equipment
You must wear a helmet at all times and use front and rear lights at night or in low light.
Vehicle standards and modifications
For public use, you do not have to worry about the standards and modifications of the e-scooter because it is hired from a state-approved provider.
Speeding
At no time can you exceed 20km/h.
Mobile phone use
You are not allowed to use your mobile phone while riding.
Alcohol and drug use
Your BAC cannot exceed 0.05, nor can you consume alcohol while riding, you also cannot be under the influence of any illicit substances.
Western Australia
You are only allowed to ride on roads where there are no dividing lines, and the speed limit is 50km/h or lower. You are also only allowed to ride on bike lanes on roads that have speed limits of 50km/h or lower.
You cannot carry a passenger of any kind.
For more information, please go to WA Gov.
Age restrictions
You must be at least 16 to ride an e-scooter.
Safety equipment
You must wear an Australian standards-approved helmet.
Vehicle standards and modifications
The e-scooter cannot be capable of exceeding 25km/h, is designed for one person, does not weigh more than 25kg, has one wheel, and is within the dimensions of 125cm long, 70cm wide and 135cm high.
Speeding
You cannot exceed 10km/h on footpaths or pedestrian crossings. You cannot exceed 25km/h on bike paths or lanes, local roads, or shared paths.
Mobile phone use
You cannot hold a mobile phone while riding, however you can have them mounted on your e-scooter or arm to take hands-free audio calls or use it as an aid for driving such as navigation or speedometer.
If your phone is mounted to your e-scooter you may touch your phone solely to answer and end calls.
Alcohol and drug use
The same rules apply to those on e-scooters as they do to drivers.
You cannot be under the influence of illicit substances, and you cannot have a BAC exceeding 0.05.
South Australia
SA has been running trial programs for e-scooters and in December 2023 released a statement saying that the community feedback was overwhelmingly positive. As of February 2024, there have been no further announcements, but the trials remain running.
Currently, you can only use e-scooters provided by approved operators at trial locations, all other e-scooter use must be on private property.
You cannot carry passengers, and you can only ride on foot or shared paths where permitted, you cannot ride in bike or bus lanes.
For more information and information about locations, please go My Licence.
Age restrictions
You must be 18 to ride an e-scooter.
Safety equipment
You must wear an approved helmet.
When riding at night or in low vision conditions, you must have a front-mounted white light that either flashes or is steady and a rear red steady light or reflector.
Vehicle standards and modifications
For public use, you do not have to worry about the standards and modifications of the e-scooter because it is hired from a state-approved provider.
Speeding
You must ride at safe speeds for conditions including other people around you, and you cannot exceed 15km/h.
Mobile phone use
You cannot use a mobile phone while riding.
Alcohol and drug use
You cannot have a BAC exceeding 0.05, nor can you have the presence of THC, MDMA, or Methylamphetamine in your system.
Tasmania
You are able to ride your e-scooter on footpaths, shared paths, and bike paths. You are also able to ride on local roads that do not have dividing lines or a median strip that has a speed limit of 50km/h or less, further, there can be no multiple lanes if it is a one-way street.
You are not able to carry passengers or animals.
Further, you must give way to pedestrians on shared paths and footpaths, you must ride with a safe stopping distance from those in front of you, and you need to keep left unless overtaking or it’s not practical to do so.
For more information, please go to Transport Services.
Age restrictions
You have to be 16 years or older to ride an e-scooter, if you are under 16 you can ride a low-powered e-scooter that doesn’t exceed 10km/h and its capacity does not exceed 200 watts.
Safety equipment
You must wear an approved helmet. If you are riding at night, you must also have a white light on the front, a red light on the back, and a red reflector on the back.
Vehicle standards and modifications
Your e-scooter cannot exceed 45kg, be larger than 25cm long by 70cm wide by 135cm high, or have the capability to go faster than 25km/h on level ground. It must also have at least one wheel and be designed for a single person only.
Speeding
You must drive to the conditions and consider other users in the area, you cannot exceed 15km/h on footpaths, and 25km/h on shared or bike paths and roads.
Mobile phone use
You cannot use your phone while riding.
Alcohol and drug use
You cannot ride under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Northern Territory
You can only ride e-scooters in public spaces if they are from Beam Mobility Australia. You can only ride them on footpaths, shared paths, and bike lanes.
You can only travel up to 50m on roads if there is an obstruction on your path and the nature strip and there is nowhere else reasonable for you to ride.
You must also keep left and give way to pedestrians. You also are not allowed to carry passengers. You are not allowed to ride privately owned e-scooters in public.
For more information, please go to NT Gov.
Age restrictions
You must be at least 18 years old to ride an e-scooter.
Safety equipment
Wear an approved helmet that is securely fitted, you must also have an electric warning device, and lights on both the front and rear of your e-scooter.
Vehicle standards and modifications
For public use, you do not have to worry about the standards and modifications of the e-scooter because it is hired from the territory-approved provider, Beam Mobility Australia.
Speeding
You must ride to conditions, but you cannot exceed 15km/h.
Mobile phone use
You are not allowed to use a mobile phone while riding.
Alcohol and drug use
Your BAC cannot be 0.05 or more.
Australian Capital Territory
You are able to ride a personal e-scooter on footpaths, shared and bike paths, and on the bike side of separated paths. You are not able to carry passengers, and you must give way to pedestrians.
You are only allowed on the road if there is no, or it’s impractical, to travel on one of the approved areas or a nature strip. In these circumstances, you must only stay on the road as long as necessary.
For more information, please go to Transport Canberra.
Age restrictions
You have to be 12 or over to ride an e-scooter, those under 12 require adult supervision.
Safety equipment
You must wear a helmet, have a warning device, and have lights or reflectors either on the e-scooter or yourself at night and in hazardous weather.
Vehicle standards and modifications
To be ridden in public spaces an e-scooter must be designed for single-person use only, have an electric motor, have at least one wheel, weigh no more than 60kg, have a brake system, and cannot go faster than 25km/h on level ground.
Further, the e-scooter must not exceed the dimensions of 1250mm in length, 700mm in width, and 1350mm in height.
Speeding
You cannot exceed 15km/h on footpaths and 25km/h on shared, separated, or bike paths.
Mobile phone use
You are not allowed to use a mobile phone while riding.
Alcohol and drug use
You cannot be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
How to best stay safe
The differing laws and regulations across states and territories can make it difficult to ensure that you are doing the right thing when taking an e-scooter for a spin, so it’s best to always check with your relevant government bodies.
What’s most important to remember is that while they may seem like a fun new toy, e-scooters, and all personal mobility devices, come with risks. So, when you’re the one in charge, you need to make sure that you are aware of everyone around you, the conditions you’re travelling in, and the local rules and regulations to ensure that everyone gets home safe.
If you would like to show your commitment to road safety, you can take our Road Safe Pledge, and promise to be a safe road user.
