--- title: "Where you can ride an eScooter in WA" url: https://endomint.com/p/L-ytpks4tnKLlgC047vM5A/where-you-can-ride-an-escooter-in-wa published: 2026-11-13 updated: 2026-11-13 tags: ["erideables", "escooters", "footpaths", "helmets", "roadsafety", "wa"] --- # Where you can ride an eScooter in WA Western Australia calls an electric scooter an eRideable, and its rules are easier to follow in a fixed order. The device has to qualify, then the rider, and then the place decides how fast you can go. The diagram runs that logic as a decision tree, and the sections after it give the detail. ![WA eRideable decision logic: six device checks, an age check, then a speed cap by place, with the four-part test for roads and the rules that always apply](https://endomint.com/images/erideable-decision-logic.png) ## What counts as an eRideable A device is an eRideable only when every one of these is true: - it has at least one wheel and is designed for one person - it has an electric motor and a way to stop, through brakes, gears or motor control - it cannot go faster than 25 km/h on level ground - it weighs 25 kg or less - it is no more than 125 cm long, 70 cm wide and 135 cm high eScooters, eSkateboards, hoverboards, eSkates and eUnicycles all qualify if they pass those tests. There is no limit on motor power, only on speed, weight and size. A device that fails any one test cannot be ridden on WA roads and paths. A scooter that is faster or heavier than the limits is not a bigger eRideable. It belongs to a different class of vehicle, such as a moped, which needs a licence and registration. ## Who can ride Riders must be 16 or over. Children under 16 can ride a low-powered motorised scooter instead, which has a maximum of 200 W and 10 km/h. A helmet is required on those too, and the rider keeps left and gives way to pedestrians. A child under 16 on an eRideable is a $50 infringement. ## Where you can ride, and how fast | Place | Rule | Speed cap | | :-: | :-: | :-: | | Footpath | Allowed. Keep left and give way to pedestrians | 10 km/h | | Pedestrian crossing | Enter from the connected path, not the road. No need to dismount. Give way | 10 km/h | | Shared path or bicycle path | Allowed unless signed "no wheeled devices" or "no bicycles". On a separated path, use the bicycle side | 25 km/h | | Bicycle lane | Only on a road with a speed limit of 50 km/h or less | 25 km/h | | Road | Only if all four tests below pass | 25 km/h | ## When a road is allowed The road rule is the only one with more than one condition. The Road Safety Commission page gives the speed test: roads where the limit is 50 km/h or less. RAC WA, summarising the Road Traffic Code 2000, adds the rest. No road with a dividing line or median strip down the centre, and no one-way road with more than one marked lane. As logic: ``` road_ok = limit <= 50 AND NOT centre_line AND NOT median_strip AND (NOT one_way OR marked_lanes <= 1) ``` A 50 km/h street with a painted centre line fails the second test, so the speed limit alone is not enough. Riding on a road with a limit over 50 km/h is a $100 infringement, and $500 where the limit is over 70 km/h. ## What applies every time - Wear an approved bicycle, skateboard or motorcycle helmet, securely fastened. - The same drink and drug driving laws apply as for car drivers, including the 0.05 alcohol limit. - Keep left unless overtaking, and ride single file in a group. - Fit a bell or other warning device if it is practical to. Use lights and reflectors in the dark. - Keep at least one hand on the handlebars and never hold a phone. - One person per device. No passengers, no animals, no towing. ## Licence, registration and insurance The Commission's eRideable pages list no licence, registration or insurance requirement for a device that meets the rules above. ## The main fines | Offence | Infringement | | :-: | :-: | | Over 25 km/h on a road, bicycle path or shared path | $100 | | Over 10 km/h on a footpath | $100 | | No helmet | $50 | | Failing to give way to pedestrians on a path | $50 | | Carrying a passenger or animal | $50 | | Reckless riding, or riding impaired by drugs or alcohol | $100 | | No working warning device (unless the design makes one impractical) | $100 | | Holding a mobile phone | $500 to $1,000 | ## Sources - [eRideables](https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/road-safety-commission/erideables), WA Road Safety Commission - [eRideable definitions and buying guide](https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/road-safety-commission/erideable-definitions-and-buying-guide), WA Road Safety Commission - [eRideable offences and penalties](https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/road-safety-commission/erideable-offences-and-penalties), WA Road Safety Commission - [E-skateboards, e-scooters and e-hoverboards: what are the rules in WA](https://rac.com.au/horizons/drive/e-skateboard-e-scooter-rules), RAC WA The rules above were checked on 13 November 2026. This is general information, not legal advice.