WA's e-rideable inquiry, six months on

Western Australia's reckoning with e-rideables began after a run of serious crashes, including the death of Perth father Thanh Phan in 2025. The Legislative Assembly inquiry that followed delivered its Ride Safe report in December 2025, and the government gave its response in March. Here is what that response promised and where it has landed.

What the government agreed to

On 10 March 2026, Transport Minister Rita Saffioti, Road Safety Minister Reece Whitby and Assisting Minister Jessica Stojkovski announced that the government supported, or supported in principle, 32 of the inquiry's 33 recommendations. The supported measures include designated dismount zones, including in Protected Entertainment Precincts, powers for local governments to declare extra dismount zones, treating e-rideables as motor vehicles for alcohol and drug testing, a review of penalties, e-rideable education in WA schools, and more safe spaces to ride.

What WA asked Canberra for

The government's main message was that the biggest problems sit outside state control. WA asked the Commonwealth for tougher import controls, a ban on device tampering, stronger national classifications, mandated speed limits and speed limiting technology, and audible alerts as standard. The ABC reported at the time that the review would not bring immediate changes to state law.

What has happened since

The Commonwealth has moved on part of WA's list. On 6 August 2026 it directed the ACCC to develop national safety standards for e-bikes and e-micromobility devices, including e-scooters. Consultation is expected in late 2026, and e-bikes come first. We cover the detail in our story on the national e-scooter safety standard.

At state level, police have kept seizing and crushing illegal, overpowered devices, and Operation Moorhead, which began on 5 January 2026, had seized 76 illegal devices and charged 76 offenders, 61 of them juveniles, by the time of the March response. As at late September 2026, we could find no announced change to the core road rules for e-scooter riders.

The rules that apply in WA today

Private e-scooters are legal on footpaths, shared paths, bike paths and local roads with a limit of 50 km/h or less. Riders must be 16 or older and wear a helmet. The limit is 10 km/h on footpaths and 25 km/h elsewhere, and the scooter itself must not be able to exceed 25 km/h. Our WA e-scooter law guide has the full detail and the official source.

What it means for riders

If you ride a legal-class scooter within the limits, nothing has changed for you yet. If you ride an unlimited or modified scooter, WA's direction of travel is clear: seizure and crushing now, and national rules on tampering later. Dismount zones in entertainment precincts are the change most likely to reach riders first, so watch for signage. To check a model before you buy, filter the directory for legal-class scooters.