No outright ban on e-scooters as new measures announced

The Government has decided against an outright ban on e-scooters, but the age limit for their use will be raised to 18.

The Taoiseach, Tánaiste and senior ministers have instead agreed further restrictions on the use of the vehicles – and insisted that an outright ban is not off the table.

The Government agreed that hi-vis jackets and helmets will also be mandatory for all e-scooter use, and the ban on their use will be extended to under-18s.

This will take effect in August.

Later this year, legislation will be introduced to treat e-scooters as mechanically propelled vehicles and there will be a requirement for licensing and registration.

This will also prohibit the sale of scooters to minors and the sale of scooters that do not meet the legal requirements for use on public roads.

An outright ban will “remain on the table”, the Government said.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said there needed to be “demonstrable improvement in terms of adherence to the to the laws” as he insisted the changes “will make a difference”.

Asked if toy stores will be told that selling e-scooters to people under 16 – and later under 18 – is illegal, Mr Martin said: “We’ll be banning all of that. That’d be all rendered illegal in terms of point of sale.”

Mr Martin said parents also “need to take on responsibility” as they should not be purchasing e-scooters for children.

He also said it was clear from the gardaí that e-scooters are being used “significantly” in “drug dealing, money laundering, and for criminal enterprises” as penalties for seizures are also to increase.

It was also agreed that further protections will be provided to members of An Garda Síochána to mirror the system in the UK.

This would grant greater legal protections to gardaí when pursuing e-scooters and e-bikes.

The proposals will be brought to Cabinet next week, where Transport Minister Darragh O’Brien will also be bringing a memo on behalf of Minister of State for Road Transport Seán Canney which will double fines for illegal use of scrambles, effective from August 14.

Asked why an outright ban was not implemented, Mr Canney told reporters: “We wanted to do something right now. So basically, we will be bringing in regulation.

“It’s being drafted by my officials this week, and I hope to have it in early August. That’s why we’ve gone that route.

“If we were to ban them outright, it would take legislation. You probably wouldn’t see anything happening in terms of a change until maybe the end of the year.”

Labour transport spokesman Ciarán Ahern broadly welcomed the action but said it will rely on “enforcement”, adding that gardaí are “often hamstrung under current regulations”.

Mr Ahern said there would also need to be “much stronger enforcement” on advertising and illegal alterations.

The Green Party “cautiously” welcomed the development as it sought a “specific restriction of the sale of e-scooters designed for and marketed to children” in any legislation.

Green leader Roderic O’Gorman said: “The statement issued by Government mentions that the sale of e-scooters to minors is to be prohibited, but it also needs to be illegal to buy one for a child.

“However, the timeline for the introduction of these rules means that the health of thousands of children will be put at risk.”

The party welcomed that there was no outright ban, but warned the licencing and registration cannot be used as a “back door” towards a complete restriction.

At the meeting on Monday, the Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly advised there has been a significant increase in garda operations connected to e-scooters including that 1,412 e-scooters have been seized so far this year.

There have been 793 prosecutions for possession of e-scooters this year.

The meeting also discussed the initial data from Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) and the HSE indicating a concerning pattern of serious and life-changing injuries caused by e-scooters.

More than one third of all paediatric traumatic brain injury admissions to CHI at Temple Street in 2026 were related to e-scooters. Admissions for traumatic brain injuries from e-scooter accidents increased by 50% in the last 12 months.

CHI estimates one to two children a day are presenting across EDs this summer with e-scooter injuries.

A full report will be available at the end of July.