E-Scooters and E-Bikes in Ontario: What Riders, Parents, and Injured People Need to Know

A rider who gets hurt on an e-scooter in a city that never legalized them can end up with a denied insurance claim, a fine on top of a hospital bill, and a much harder road to compensation. Parents who buy a scooter for a 14-year-old can find themselves answering for that decision after a collision. The law here is newer than most people realize, and it changes from one municipal boundary to the next. DWA Law is a personal injury firm serving Hamilton and communities across Ontario, and we handle injury claims involving e-scooters, e-bikes, cyclists, and pedestrians. This guide covers the rules as they stand and what to do if a ride goes wrong.

Ontario launched a five-year e-scooter pilot program on January 1, 2020, and it has since been extended. The province did not simply legalize e-scooters everywhere. Instead, the program allows municipalities to permit them on local roads through a city council decision. If your city has not opted into the program, riding an e-scooter on public roads, bike lanes, or trails is not permitted, full stop. Private property remains the only lawful place to ride in those communities.

That opt-in structure catches a lot of people off guard. Retailers sell e-scooters in every corner of the province, and nothing at the checkout counter tells you the device may be illegal to ride on the street outside your own home.

The pilot program covers electric kick-style scooters only. That means a platform you stand on, handlebars, and an electric motor, with a maximum speed of 24 kmh on a level surface. Riders must be at least 16 years old. Passengers are banned, cargo is banned, and riders under 18 must wear a helmet. The device itself has weight and power limits, needs a horn or bell, and must have front and rear lights for riding at night.

Seated scooters with larger wheels and moped-style bodies generally fall outside the definition of electric kick-style scooters, which puts them outside the program altogether. Anyone riding one of those on a public road may be operating an unlicensed, uninsured motor vehicle in the eyes of the Highway Traffic Act, which can have real consequences after a crash.

Ottawa, Windsor, and a number of other communities have opted into the pilot program and allow e-scooters on certain roads and pathways, often alongside rental fleet programs approved by city council. Toronto’s city council reviewed the pilot program and voted not to opt in, so e-scooter use on Toronto streets remains prohibited under the city’s bylaws. Hamilton has studied shared e-scooter programs, and riders should confirm the city’s current bylaw status before heading out, because a municipality can change its position at any council meeting.

The safest habit is a quick check of your city’s website before you ride. Five minutes of reading can be the difference between a routine commute and a legal mess after a collision.

Power-assisted bicycles have been legal across Ontario since 2009 under provincial regulation, with no pilot program involved. You can ride an e-bike anywhere a conventional bicycle is allowed, subject to local bylaws, with no license, no registration, and no plate required. Provincial law still sets specific requirements for the rider, the machine, and the equipment on it, and the sections below cover each one.

That said, “no license required” does not mean “no rules.”

Riders must be at least 16 years old, and every rider must wear an approved bicycle or motorcycle helmet regardless of age. The bike itself has to meet the federal definition of a power-assisted bicycle. In plain terms, that means a motor of no more than 500 watts, electric assistance that cuts out at 32 km/h, working pedals, a maximum weight of 120 kilograms, and functioning brakes. Modify an e-bike to go faster than 32 km/h under motor power and it stops being an e-bike in the law’s eyes. It becomes a motor vehicle that needs a license, registration, and insurance.

Modified and overpowered e-bikes have become a common thread in the injury claims we review at DWA Law. When a device no longer qualifies as a power-assisted bicycle, the insurance picture changes for everyone involved in the crash, including the rider.

E-bikes are banned from 400-series highways and other controlled-access roads, the same as bicycles. Beyond that, municipalities decide where e-bikes can go locally, so a multi-use trail that welcomes them in one city may prohibit them in the next. Some cities restrict heavier scooter-style e-bikes from bike lanes and paths while permitting pedal-style models. Sidewalk riding is prohibited for adults nearly everywhere in the province.

Check posted signage and municipal bylaws for any trail you ride regularly. A rider injured on a path where e-bikes were prohibited will face that fact during any claim, even when someone else caused the crash.

E-scooter and e-bike collisions produce serious injuries, and the compensation questions that follow are more complicated than a typical car accident because standard auto insurance does not cover these devices the way it covers a vehicle.

Several sources of compensation may apply depending on how the collision happened. If a car, truck, or motorcycle was involved, the injured rider can generally claim statutory accident benefits through the driver’s auto insurance, and may also sue the at-fault driver for damages. If a pothole, broken pavement, or poorly maintained trail caused the crash, the municipality or property occupier may bear liability, though claims against municipalities carry short notice deadlines measured in days. A defective battery, brake failure, or a rental scooter with a maintenance problem can support a product liability or negligence claim against the manufacturer or rental company.

Every one of those paths has its own deadlines and evidence requirements. Sorting out which apply is the first thing our team does in a free consultation, and because DWA Law works on contingency across all of our practice areas, you pay legal fees only if your claim succeeds.

Photograph the scene, the device, your injuries, and any road defect before conditions change. Get names and contact information for witnesses and any driver involved, and report the collision to police when a motor vehicle played a part. See a doctor promptly even if you think the injury is minor, since medical records made close to the crash carry weight later.

One more point worth stating plainly. Riding where you technically should not have been, or riding under the program’s minimum age, does not automatically bar you from compensation in Ontario. Contributory fault can reduce an award, yet a negligent driver or a city that ignored a hazard can still be held responsible. Injured riders and worried parents give up on valid claims every year because they assume a rule violation ended their rights. Ask before you assume.

E-scooter and e-bike law in Ontario is a patchwork of provincial rules and local bylaws, and a crash drops you into insurance territory that few riders understand until it happens to them. If you or your child has been hurt on one of these devices, get answers before deadlines pass. Contact DWA Law in Hamilton for a free, no-obligation case review. We will tell you honestly where your claim stands and what it may be worth.