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Electric bikes: this absurd rule that Ontario is finally preparing to remove
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- aimode.news
- @aimode_news
In Ontario, the largest province in Canada where the cities of Ottawa and Toronto are located, driving an electric bike or riding on one as a passenger requires a minimum age: 16 years. Concretely, a person under the age of 16 is therefore not allowed to ride on the back of a bicycle. Which is simply absurd in 2026.
Thousands of parents in illegality
The problem is that electric longtails, these cargo bikes extended at the back and designed to transport passengers, have become popular in Canada. Result: thousands of parents drop their children off at school by bike, completely illegally.
Good news: as Electrek reports, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation is preparing an update to the regulations that will lift this ban. The offense is expensive today: according to TorontoToday, transporting a child on a cargo bike carries a fine of up to 1,000 Canadian dollars, or around 670 euros.
What the new text provides
The bill would thus authorize passengers of any age on an electric bicycle, under two conditions: that a suitable seat is provided, original or designed to be compatible with the vehicle. The driver must always be at least 16 years old, and helmets remain compulsory for everyone, driver and passengers alike.
The text has the support of Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow. A spokesperson for the elected official explained to the Toronto Star that she “is very supportive of electric cargo bikes and some members of her family use them as an efficient means of transportation with their children,” adding that “she is opposed to their ban.”
The legal uncertainty also weighed on traders and insurance companies. Aaron Enchin, owner of a bike shop in Toronto, told TorontoToday that he regularly has the same conversation with his customers: “Am I buying something illegal? ". For those who were still hesitant about switching to an electric bike to transport their family, the regularization removes at least one doubt, even if the project must still pass the public consultation phase before coming into force.
