HAMILTON, Bermuda, Sept 16, CMC – The Bermuda government concerned at the high rate of rates of accidents involving electronic bikes (e-bikes) has announced new measures “drawing a clear, public line” under the law in existence since 1954.
Tourism, Transport, Culture and Sport Minister, Owen Darrell, told a news conference that the law is not new and that the Auxiliary Bicycles Act has governed two- and three-wheeled motorized vehicles on Bermuda’s roads since 1954.
He said the legislatuon as written, has always applied to electrically propelled machines, but what is changing, starting immediately is that the government is telling every e-bike owner exactly what is required, “giving them a fair and well-supported window to meet those requirements, and making sure that window has a firm end date”.
According to Darrell the government had been forced to adopt tougher measures because the number of e-bikes “has grown far faster than most of us expected, and the consequences of that growth are no longer hypothetical”.
He said that for this year so far, there have been several rports invlving e-bikes including young riders travelling at more than twice the posted speed limit and a 71-year-old Bermudian hospitalised after being struck by an e-bike ridden by a 15-year-old.
“These are not abstract statistics. They are our neighbours, our elders, and our children, sharing narrow roads with machines that can now move as fast as a car,” Darrell said, adding as of now, every e-bike intended to be ridden on Bermuda’s roads must be registered and licensed with the Transport Control Department (TCD)
He said also that every rider must hold the appropriate licence for their vehicle, must carry valid third-party insurance, at a minimum, jand must wear a proper, certified helmet, every time.
“I know that for many families and many riders, this will mean a trip to TCD that you were not expecting to make,” Darrell said, adding that persons have until October 31,, 2026, to meet the new measures.
“We are also working directly with local insurers to expand the products available for e-bikes, so that a valid insurance certificate is something every legitimate rider can obtain,” Darrell said, urging every e-bike owner to get properly registered.
“This time period does not make illegal operation lawful. It does not apply to underage riders, nor does it permit the operation of an unlicensed or uninsured vehicle. Our goal over these seven weeks is compliance, not confrontation. We would much rather spend September and October helping people get right with the law than spend November responding to the alternative.”
CMC/ag/ir/2026