NSW is to join Victoria and Queensland in reviewing the use of electric scooters and bikes and is eyeing a temporary ban on allowing them on trains.
The NSW government says the move has been prompted by safety worries over lithium-ion batteries and wants the public to have a say. They have given a three-week timetable for public comments.
Victoria is also considering a similar move while Queensland will hold a parliamentary inquiry into their use.
EARLIER STORY: Qld sets up parliamentary inquiry
NSW Transport Minister John Graham says there are more than 1.3 million e-bikes and e-scooters in the state which requires a plan to mitigate fire risk on trains.
“The risk of a lithium battery fire on a train in a tunnel or in an underground station is very concerning,” he says.
“We recognise the popularity of e-bikes and e-scooters and the increasing role they play in our transport network, which is why we’re working with our federal counterparts to improve standards as well as drafting our own legislation to make e-bikes and e-scooters safer.”
Transport for NSW Secretary Josh Murray says they are trying to strike a balance between public safety and convenience.
“Our safety rules need to keep pace with this rapidly evolving and popular technology,” he says.
ELECTRIC BATTERY RISK
The NSW Government says the move follows recent incidents such as a battery fire onboard a Melbourne Metro Train in March and another in a lift at Blacktown Station in Sydney in April.
NSW Fire and Rescue says there have been 183 lithium-ion battery fires so far in 2025; more than a third involved electric mobility devices.
It says lithium-ion batteries can catch fire without warning and are difficult to extinguish and emit gasses.
The temporary ban would apply to e-bikes, e-scooters and e-skateboards that are powered by lithium-ion batteries on train carriages, platforms, and station areas inside fare gates for Sydney Trains, Sydney Metro, and NSW TrainLink services.
It would not apply on light rail, buses and ferries or to disability mobility aids such as powered wheelchairs.
The NSW and Victorian transport ministers have also written to the Commonwealth Government asking for a national approach to e-device safety.
For more information and to make a submission to the NSW Government, click here.
