Pennsylvania State House targets e-scooter regulations
Lawmakers approve measure to mandate helmets, ban children under 16 from riding
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Legislation barring youth under 16 from riding e-scooters and mandating helmets for riders under 18 was approved by the state House on Tuesday.
House Bill 1633 would also cap e-scooter speeds at 25 mph and allow local officials to enact ordinances with stricter limitations than those in the state law, though fines are capped at $100.
"If you love e-scooters, this bill is for you. If you hate e-scooters, this bill is for you," said Rep. Emily Kinkead, D-Allegheny, the prime sponsor of HB 1633.
Kinkead said the legislation sets "reasonable restrictions" and creates rules of the road for e-scooters as they become increasingly common.
"Doing nothing only means things stay as they are. Not get any better," she said.
Rep. Jennifer O'Mara, D-Delaware, spoke in favor of the legislation, saying that the community in her district was "rattled" by an e-scooter crash that claimed the life of a 12-year-old girl. And when parents began calling her office to ask what the rules for e-scooter use are in Pennsylvania, they were astounded to learn that there are none in place yet.
The measure was approved by a vote of 176-27 and now goes to the state Senate. The House and Senate are both in session Wednesday and only have two lame-duck session days scheduled after midterm elections, making it unlikely that the legislation will make its way to Gov. Josh Shapiro this year.
The legislation does not cover electric bicycles or other forms of electric mobility devices. Two lawmakers -- Reps. Eddie Pashinski, D-Luzerne, and Joe McAndrew, D-Allegheny -- have announced plans for legislation setting rules for e-bike use but neither measure has been introduced and Pashinski is retiring at the end of the legislation session.
Two other lawmakers have introduced resolutions that would trigger state legislative studies to generate recommendations for regulating the use of electric bicycles.
The legislation would allow police to file summary charges against the parents of underage riders found to be illegally operating e-scooters. In such cases, if the parent of the rider cannot be immediately located, police would be authorized to confiscate the scooter.
Parents would be able to reclaim confiscated e-scooters by contacting police within 30 days and by demonstrating that they own the scooter and they've paid the penalty for the summary offense.
House Bill 1633 also allows for officials in most cities in the state to authorize commercial shared e-scooter programs.
The provision does not include Philadelphia.
A shared e-scooter pilot in Pittsburgh operated under a temporary state authorization that expired in 2023. Kinkead called the pilot a success meeting transportation needs with more than 200,000 people signed up to use scooters.
In municipalities with commercial shared e-scooter programs, the legislation allows local officials to implement penalties for abandoning e-scooters, including $100 fines for the operator and $150 per day fines against the company operating the program for every abandoned e-scooter that is not collected within three hours of being deserted.
Businesses that sell e-scooters would be required to provide written notice to customers of the e-scooter rules set in HB 1633. Any business that is found to have ignored this requirement could be hit with a $1,000 fine.