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January 24, 2025 – Pennsylvania lawmakers are once again grappling with the rapid rise of electric scooters, as the state’s outdated traffic code struggles to address the safety and legal gaps created by these lightweight, battery-powered devices. While e-scooters have become a popular, affordable option for short trips, they remain illegal to operate on public streets in the commonwealth, leaving riders, police, and local officials in a regulatory gray area.
“It’s like the wild west out there,” Scott Slingerland, executive director of the Coalition for Appropriate Transportation, told state legislators during a hearing in the Lehigh Valley this week. His comment reflects the growing frustration among advocates who say the lack of clear rules is endangering everyone on the road.
Several lawmakers have introduced bills to legalize and regulate e-scooters, following the lead of more than two dozen other states. Senator Tim Kearney (D-Delaware) pointed out that thousands of Pennsylvanians already use e-scooters or similar devices, yet safety education—especially for minors—remains rare.
“You can buy them online or in-store with ease. Retailers market e-scooters as a kid’s toy—Walmart even lets you filter for teen, tween, child, and even toddler e-scooters,” Kearney said. “The reality is that e-scooters are not going away, and we cannot put the proverbial toothpaste back in the tube.”
Stakeholders generally agree on minimum safety standards, including brakes, lights, reflectors, and a sound signal, as outlined by Henry Beaver of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Beaver also emphasized the need for operational rules such as a maximum legal speed, a minimum riding age, and designated operating areas—like bike lanes—while prohibiting riding between traffic lanes or on roads with speed limits above a certain threshold.
While the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation recommends that e-scooters not be classified as motor vehicles, thereby exempting them from registration, titling, and inspection, law enforcement officials see things differently.
Scott Bohn, executive director of the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association, argued that the clearest statewide standard remains a full prohibition on e-scooters on public roads. However, if the General Assembly decides to legalize them, Bohn insisted that registration should be mandatory, alongside driver education or safety training.
“The measure of any micromobility law should be straightforward: does it reduce the risk for riders, motorists, pedestrians, and police while giving officers a law they can realistically enforce?” Bohn said. “If Pennsylvania cannot answer that question with confidence, the commonwealth should choose prohibition.”
Beyond legal classification, the hearing highlighted the critical role of rider education. Allentown Police Chief Charles Roca noted that officers often struggle to distinguish between e-scooters, e-bikes, and e-motorcycles—all of which have different legal statuses and capabilities. “We don’t have a fast and accurate way to identify what we’re looking at,” he said. “It might be a feeling, but we don’t have a weight on it.”
Ngani Ndimbie, director of programs for Mobilify Southwestern Pennsylvania, shared real-world examples of e-scooter users: an older man who lacked the strength for long walks, a young professional commuting to work in a suit, and a family using a city trail. “Some of the benefits include increased mobility for the older man, and the employer of the young man doesn’t need to provide an additional parking space,” she said.
As Pennsylvania debates its next steps, neighboring states and others across the country offer both cautionary tales and success stories. New York, for example, legalized e-scooters in 2020 with a minimum age of 16, a 15 mph speed limit, and a helmet requirement for riders under 18. California requires riders to be at least 16 and wear helmets, while Texas mandates liability insurance for e-scooter rental companies. According to a 2024 Consumer Reports analysis, states with comprehensive regulations—including rider education and clear operating zones—have seen a 25% reduction in serious e-scooter-related injuries compared to states with no rules.
The Pennsylvania General Assembly is expected to continue hearings in the coming months, with a potential vote on a regulatory framework before the end of 2025. Advocates on both sides agree that inaction is no longer an option. As Slingerland put it, “We need to move from the wild west to a system that works for everyone—riders, drivers, pedestrians, and police.”
