Children under the age of 16 would be banned from riding e-mobility devices if the Queensland Government follows sweeping recommendations by a parliamentary committee. The committee recommends that riders of e-bikes and personal mobility devices be required to hold at least a Queensland C-class learner licence, with the exception of wheelchair and other accessibility device users.
Queensland's landmark parliamentary inquiry into e-mobility safety and use, established in mid-2025 and drawing more than 1,200 submissions, is widely expected to recommend minimum age limits and potential licensing requirements for e-bike riders. The recommendations follow a year that saw e-bikes and personal mobility devices implicated in the deaths of a dozen people in Queensland in 2025, including several children.
Experts advised that children under 16 lacked the cognitive and motor skills required to safely operate e-mobility devices, with the risk heightened by limited understanding of road rules. The committee also recommends riders be limited to a maximum of 10km/h on footpaths in an attempt to discourage hooning and address pedestrians' safety concerns.
The recommendations represent a significant tightening of existing rules. Currently under Queensland regulations, children aged 11 years and under must not ride e-scooters, and children aged 12 to 15 years can only ride e-scooters if supervised by an adult while riding. An outright ban on under-16 riders would mark a material shift in policy.
Yet the committee takes a more measured approach to higher-powered devices. It recommends that any device with a top speed exceeding 25km/h be defined as a motorcycle, moped or other appropriate classification, with such devices only ridden on roads and requiring registration and compulsory third-party insurance, with riders required to wear helmets and hold the appropriate class of licence, such as a motorcycle licence.
The report acknowledges that e-scooters and e-bikes are being used in their thousands on Queensland roads and that when used responsibly, e-mobility devices provide "a viable and valuable component of the state's public transport system." It calls for e-mobility devices be better integrated into the state's public transport network, calling on state and local government to work on providing suitable pathways and parking options.
The committee acknowledged that thousands of families with children under 16 already owned the devices legally and came down firmly on the side of stronger regulation of the devices. This creates a practical challenge: many households already use these devices, and a blanket ban would affect existing behaviour and purchasing decisions.
From a policy perspective, the committee's approach balances competing concerns. Safety data and expert assessment of developmental capacity provide genuine support for restrictions on young riders. The evidence of deaths in 2025, while still a small absolute number in transport terms, warrants serious consideration. Yet the committee stopped short of an outright prohibition, instead coupling age restrictions with infrastructure improvements and a framework that acknowledges legitimate transport value.
Whether the Queensland Government adopts these recommendations will test the state's commitment to evidence-based regulation. Implementation would likely require amendments to transport legislation, enforcement mechanisms, and a public education campaign. If recommendations get enacted, other states may introduce similar restrictions, making this a decision with potential significance across Australia.
The inquiry reflects a genuine tension in modern transport policy: how to manage safety risks without unnecessarily restricting access to low-emission mobility options that offer real utility for families. The recommendations provide a framework for that conversation, even if they do not resolve it entirely.