Licensing for e-scooters and e-bikes could soon be required in the City of Moncton.
A proposed by-law was introduced at this week’s Committee of the Whole meeting.
“In response to the recent arrival of shared micromobility e-scooter businesses in Moncton, and the resulting concerns raised by Council during its June 3, 2025, public meeting, administration has prepared a proposed licensing by-law with the view of regulating shared micromobility businesses and attempting to mitigate some of the risks and concerns,” Fire Chief Conrad Landry told Moncton City Council.
There are currently two businesses that operate by renting e-scooters in Greater Moncton. If the by-law passes, they will need to take steps to ensure they are licensed to operate in the tri-communities.
To obtain licensing, some of the criteria for micromobility business operators would require them to obtain general liability insurance of $5 million, auto insurance of $2 million, and accident protection insurance for damage caused by riders.
They will also be required to pay $50 per device fee or charge to obtain a license, and have a plan to influence rider behaviour to ensure safety and for parking devices.
Under the licence, devices must also not be left unattended or parked on sidewalks, on the travel portion of the street, or on multi-use trails.
Users will also not be permitted to travel on streets where the speed limit is over 50 km/h. For trails, the maximum will be 15 km/h, 25 km/h on streets and a maximum speed of 15 km/h on Main Street from Mechanic Street to Canada Street.
The proposed law also stipulates that micromobility devices cannot be operated by those younger than 16 years old, and a helmet must be worn.
Landry also pointed out that the administration has not yet had the opportunity to conduct a study for a micromobility plan for the City of Moncton. Instead, this by-law has been proposed in response to some of the concerns raised with the arrival of the two e-scooter rental operators.
He adds that this proposed by-law is meant as a first step to ensure that shared micromobility companies face some accountability, and minimize concerns over misuse of the vehicles.
Administration will commit to reporting back to Council on the licensing initiative through the By-law by the end of the 2026 season, and no later than January 2027.
The first reading of the proposed bylaw was approved in principle, but it must still be voted on at next week’s Moncton City Council meeting.
