Legislation that would crack down on ebikes and e-scooters in Queensland could curtail food delivery services and potentially end shared e-vehicle schemes, industry figures warn.
The proposed laws would set an age limit of 16 on ebikes and e-scooters, require users to obtain a driver’s licence, and set a limit of 10km/h on almost all cycle lanes.
The laws have sparked a huge backlash from the cycling and disability communities, road safety advocates and transport engineering groups, with more than 2,000 submissions to a parliamentary inquiry.
DoorDash said the licence requirement would create a “disproportionate and unnecessary barrier to participation in delivery work” that was “likely to deter participation or force exit (of users), without delivering a commensurate safety benefit”.
“This reduction of the delivery fleet would have broader ripple effects beyond the riders themselves, including reduced availability of on‑demand delivery services,” it said.
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In its submission, Uber Eats said it employs more than 30,000 delivery workers in Queensland. About 89% of its workers join the platform using an international passport and are unlikely to hold any driver’s licence, according to its submission.
“The impact on the delivery community would be immense,” Uber’s submission reads, and would cause “delays, reduced reliability, and a poorer customer experience”.
“Restaurants would become increasingly frustrated with meals taking longer to be collected, particularly during peak periods, which could impact customer satisfaction and undermine confidence with delivery platforms”, Uber claims.
Meanwhile, the state’s shared e-vehicle schemes warned that the laws could make them uninsurable.
Lime and Neuron operate ebikes and e-scooters through council-backed schemes in several Queensland cities, including Brisbane.
In a joint submission, the companies focused on a clause requiring share scheme operators to ensure their clients had a driver’s licence.
Without amendment the bill would impose a “a harsh restriction on accessibility that would undermine the economic basis of the shared schemes … and without amendment could see the end of services in all Queensland cities”, they claim.
The state transport minister, Brent Mickelberg, defended the legislation on Wednesday, claiming the original parliamentary inquiry into ebikes had heard “considerable concern” about pedestrian safety on footpaths.
“We’ll be considering the committee report in relation to that specific legislation, and then we’ll come back to the parliament once we’ve gone through that process,” he said.
Cycling groups, the Royal Automobile Club of Queensland, the Brisbane, Gold Coast, Logan, Somerset and Noosa councils and several groups of experts have asked for major parts of the bill to be amended.
Many submissions argued the state should instead improve the state’s limited protected cycle lane infrastructure and enforce existing rules banning overpowered “e-motorbikes”.
A single person was killed in a crash involving a legal ebike in Queensland in 2025. A 79-year-old woman was hit and killed by a car on Bribie Island in July.
Last year’s road deaths toll was the highest in 16 years, with 306 lives lost, almost all of them to cars, trucks and motorbikes. Ebikes and e-scooter represented the least and second least fatalities of any transport mode. This year’s road toll is 24.2% higher than at the same time last year, according to the latest update from the department of transport and main roads.
