Are you looking to ride an electric scooter in Québec? If so, you'll need to know the rules and regulations for operating one. In Québec, you must be at least 14 years old and have a class 6D driver's license to drive a moped or scooter on public roads. If you're under 18, the same applies to electric bicycles. Holders of any class of driver's license (except class) can also drive this type of vehicle.
Electric scooters are classified as electrically assisted bicycles under federal law, and each province may make minor changes, such as age requirements. Municipalities may also make changes as to where they are allowed to be used. For example, the city of Montreal created more than 200 parking spaces specifically for electric scooters shared by companies like Lime and Bird. A scooter is equipped with an electric motor or a combustion engine with a displacement not exceeding 50 cubic centimeters (cc), as well as an automatic transmission.
The City of Toronto has not yet released its official rules on how to ride these electric scooters on public properties or highways. As part of a pilot project across the province, GeeBee's electric scooters are currently the only motorized electric scooter allowed on Québec's highways, according to the province's auto insurance board (SAAQ). Despite their growing popularity, low-speed motorized electric foot scooters are illegal on public roads in Québec, including walkways. While all this controversy has led to a ban on shared electric scooters in Montreal, privately owned electric scooters are still perfectly legal.
Low-speed electric scooters cannot be used on a public road or on a bicycle path that is next to public roads, said the spokesman for the Québec Ministry of Transportation, Louis-André Bertrand. In Canada, electric scooters are classified as electrically assisted bicycles and both follow many of the same federal laws and regulations. Electric scooters are also much cheaper than traditional bicycles because they don't require gasoline or oil to operate. Vehicles such as scooters (some are called “mopeds”, because they are a scooter that can also be powered by pedals) are very popular among young people.
However, keep in mind that, like all bike lanes in Québec, riding an electric scooter is illegal.
