Healey micromobility bill seeks to lay ground rules for a largely unregulated, quickly evolving industry

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Gov. Maura Healey on Monday filed a bill regulating micromobility devices, better known as e-bikes, scooters and mopeds spotted tearing up the roads and sidewalks. 

It’s a safe lane in an election year. More so than, say, congestion pricing. But it’s also a smart move, according to advocates. To hear them tell it, it’s the Wild West out there, and the micromobility sector needs some taming. The legislation has been in the works for a year, drawing in lawmakers, industry leaders, walkers and bikers.

In filing the legislation, Healey noted the bill comes out of recommendations of a statewide commission under her “Mass Leads Act” – a 2024 economic development law that should not be confused with a 2026 economic development bill with a similarly anodyne name, “Mass Wins Act.” (The micromobility bill is called the “Ride Safe Act.”)

“This is potentially, if done right, the future of transportation,” said Galen Mook, executive director of the advocacy group MassBike, who hopes it’ll lead to more people out of single vehicle trips and expanding low-cost, low-impact travel through micromobility, and make a dent in congestion and the climate crisis.

The bill also seeks to be flexible, or “future-proof.” “They are putting together a tiered system, not knowing how it’s going to go but knowing the industry will be evolving with more devices,” said Mook.

The bill sets minimum age requirements for operating some e-bikes and scooters (you’ll have to be 16 and older to get on a moped), requires helmets for some device categories, and sets up insurance standards for higher-speed vehicles like mopeds.

“It also sets clear equipment requirements like lights, reflectors, and braking systems to improve visibility and reduce crashes,” Healey wrote in her filing letter. “Together, these updates clarify where devices can operate, such as bike lanes, roadways and sidewalks, while limiting higher speed devices in areas where they pose safety risks.”

No statewide regulatory system exists for scooters as they’re operating now, and Mook has heard complaints about this from across the state. That includes people in the Berkshires using certain types of e-bikes, and people on Cape Cod bike paths struggling to share space with faster vehicles.

“This is a broad need and it’s a pretty simple solution on paper, I feel. The trick is going to be how we’re going to have this make its way down to the local level where it will be put in place,” Mook said, involving police, manufacturers, dealers and trainers. “The reason for the broad support is people are seeing the deficiency in the current system.”

It’s little wonder that micromobility regulations were mentioned as a priority for both transportation chairs, Sen. Brendan Crighton (D-Lynn) and Rep. Jim Arciero (D-Westford), as they highlighted during a MASSterList/State House News Service forum last December. Arciero recalled he and his daughter getting clipped by micromobility vehicles while walking the local rail trail, with some driven by young people without helmets at 30 to 35 miles per hour.

“Micromobility devices are playing an increasingly important role in how people move throughout the Commonwealth, but our laws have not kept pace with this exponentially growing mode of transportation,” Arciero said in a statement bundled with Healey’s announcement of the bill.

Crighton sounded his own supportive notes, saying it promotes “the responsible development of these new transportation options.” 

“There’ll of course there’ll be a public process, but the overall theme and structure of what this bill is trying to seek, it’s nice to see,” Mook said.

That means the governor can pick the lane, but the Legislature is still in the driver's seat.

I’ve been intrigued by scooters and other micromobility devices, having given up on my dream of owning a personal jetpack like the Rocketeer. If you have a recommendation for a certain device, let me know. It might also come in handy in dealing with fleeing politicians: [email protected].

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