A driver licence for an e-bike? Queensland is targeting the wrong riders
Since 31 August 2026, most people aged 16 and over must hold a valid driver licence—at least a learner licence—to ride an e-bike in a public place in Queensland.
There are exemptions, including some supervised riding by younger people and provisions for eligible people with disability or medical circumstances. Nevertheless, the general rule represents a major change: access to a legal bicycle is now linked to eligibility for a motor-vehicle licence.
Pedal Power opposed this approach while the legislation was being considered.
Our submission described the Bill as “a fundamental misstep”. It penalises people using safe, legal e-bikes while failing to focus regulation on the devices creating the greatest concern.
That distinction matters.
A legal pedal-assist e-bike remains a bicycle. It assists someone while they pedal and must comply with limits on power and assisted speed. Many of the devices attracting public complaints are substantially more powerful, can travel at much higher speeds and can be operated without pedalling.
As Bicycle Queensland has argued, those devices are not e-bikes. They are effectively unregistered electric motorbikes and should be treated accordingly.
Conflating the two categories risks producing rules that are both unfair and ineffective. Broad restrictions can penalise low-risk behaviour, consume enforcement resources and distract from the importation and sale of illegal, high-powered devices.
The licence requirement also creates barriers to accessible active travel.
E-bikes enable people to make trips they may not be able to complete on a conventional bicycle. They support mobility and independence for older people, people managing health conditions, people who cannot afford a car and people who do not hold a driver licence.
For some, an e-bike is a convenient transport choice. For others, it is what makes independent travel possible.
The law may also affect visitors using hire bikes, tourists travelling with their own e-bikes, delivery workers and families who want to ride together. Equivalent interstate and overseas licences are recognised, but visitors still need to understand a rule that does not apply elsewhere in Australia.
That national inconsistency should concern ACT riders. Our advocacy minutes noted that Australia is heading towards different e-mobility rules in every jurisdiction. That makes compliance harder, creates confusion about what an e-bike is and increases the risk that poorly targeted policies will be copied.
Pedal Power supports effective action on unsafe behaviour and illegal devices. Better measures would include:
enforcing existing rules against illegal, high-powered devices;
clearly distinguishing compliant e-bikes from electric motorbikes;
strengthening import and point-of-sale compliance;
investing in safe, connected infrastructure;
providing practical rider education; and
developing consistent, evidence-based national rules.
Safety regulation should target the behaviour and equipment creating the risk. It should not create unnecessary barriers for people riding legal bicycles safely.
The question for every government considering similar legislation should be simple: are we addressing genuine risks, or making accessible active travel more difficult?
