Research/The Massachusetts Micromobility Commission Report, Explained
The Massachusetts Micromobility Commission Report, Explained
A guide to the Special Commission on Micromobility’s recommendations, the Ride Safe Act that followed them, and the rules for e-bikes, scooters and mopeds currently in force in Massachusetts.
Summary
In January 2026, a commission set up by the Legislature made 16 recommendations on how Massachusetts handles e-bikes, e-scooters and similar devices. One of its recommendations is to group devices by their top speed.
In May 2026, the Governor filed a bill, the Ride Safe Act (S.3077). Her filing letter says the bill builds on the commission’s approach. None of these changes are law. This page explains what was proposed, what the rules are today, and what it could mean for you as a rider, a pedestrian or a parent.
Key terms
- Micromobility device: the bill describes it as a small, lightweight device for personal use as an alternative to motor vehicles.
- Speed tier: a group of devices sorted by the top speed they are built to reach.
- E-bike classes: a class 1 e-bike helps only while you pedal and stops helping at 20 mph. A class 2 e-bike can move on the motor alone, up to 20 mph. A class 3 e-bike, which state law does not include today, helps only while you pedal, up to 28 mph.
- Moped: a bicycle with a small motor (50 cc or less), an automatic transmission and a top speed of 30 mph or less. E-bikes do not count as mopeds.
Where this information comes from
Everything on this page comes from official documents: the commission’s report and its summary, MassDOT’s commission pages, the bill and its record in the Legislature, and state law. They are listed at the bottom of the page. If the documents do not answer a question, this page says so.
Why the state set up a commission
On November 20, 2024, the Governor signed the Mass Leads Act. One section of that law created a commission to recommend how the state should regulate these devices.
The commission had 15 members, including lawmakers, state agencies, cities and towns, advocates, businesses and police, and it was chaired by MassDOT’s interim secretary. It met five times in 2025 and sent 16 recommendations to the Legislature on January 31, 2026.
The commission’s summary reports that bikeshare ridership in Massachusetts is growing annually. The Bluebikes system in Greater Boston recorded more than 4.7 million trips in 2024, and the state’s e-bike voucher program, run by MassCEC, received four times more applications than it had vouchers. The same summary states: “Data on micromobility-related crashes is sparse and unreliable at present.”
The commission’s main recommendations
Specific positions in the report and in MassDOT’s commission FAQ include:
- Sort devices by speed into four groups: up to 20 mph, 21 to 30 mph, 31 to 40 mph, and 41 mph and above. Faster groups would face stricter rules, such as age limits.
- Highest possible tier. If a device can be modified to reach a faster class, it would follow the rules of its highest possible tier.
- Give class 3 e-bikes an ID, called a Micro ID, so they can be recognized.
- No minimum age for the slowest group. That group includes bicycles, kick scooters, skateboards and powered devices up to 20 mph.
- A 20 mph speed limit on shared use paths, unless a different limit is posted.
- Better crash reporting, including crashes that do not involve a motor vehicle.
- Study who is responsible in a crash, including the possible effects of a “presumed liability” law. MassDOT would carry out the study with an academic partner.
The report’s other recommendations are titled legislative and regulatory changes, police training, education campaign, automated enforcement, model municipal traffic control ordinance, design guidance, micromobility integration, funding for upgrades, expand bikeshare, fund more e-bike subsidies, and commercial use micromobility study. These are recommendations only. MassDOT says some of them would need the Legislature to change the law.
How the bill sorts devices by speed
The Ride Safe Act writes the commission’s four groups into the bill. A device’s group would depend on the top speed its manufacturer built it to reach, measured on flat ground, in normal conditions, with an average rider. If a device has both a motor-assisted top speed and a built-in top speed, the higher one would count.
| Tier | Top speed | Examples named in the bill |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 0 | Up to 20 mph | Anything without a motor, class 1 and class 2 e-bikes, mobility aid devices |
| Tier 1 | 21 to 30 mph | Includes class 3 e-bikes |
| Tier 2 | 31 to 40 mph | Powered devices in this range, but not low speed vehicles, limited use motorcycles or low speed motorcycles |
| Tier 3 | Over 40 mph | Powered devices faster than 40 mph |
The bill would also add class 3 e-bikes to state law. Today the law recognizes only classes 1 and 2.
Helmets, ages and passengers under the bill
- Up to 20 mph (Tier 0): riders and passengers 16 and under would have to wear a properly fitted, strapped helmet that meets federal safety standards. This does not apply to mobility aid devices, or to a passenger inside an enclosed trailer that protects their head.
- Over 20 mph (Tiers 1 to 3): every rider and passenger would have to wear a helmet, whatever their age, meeting a standard set by the Registry of Motor Vehicles.
- Age limit: no one under 16 could buy, rent, lease or ride a device faster than 20 mph. Mobility aid devices are not included.
- Passengers: carrying more people than the device was built for would not be allowed.
Where each type could be ridden
- Up to 20 mph: the same rights and duties as a bicycle.
- 21 to 30 mph: the same rights and duties as an e-bike.
- Over 30 mph: not allowed on sidewalks, bike lanes, bike paths, bike routes, separated micromobility lanes or shared use paths.
Bike paths and bike lanes would be open to the two slower groups and closed to mopeds. All of these devices would have to follow the speed limits set for motor vehicles. Breaking those limits would bring the same fines drivers face for speeding, and riders would also be subject to the penalties in several sections of the state’s motor vehicle law that apply to drivers.
Safety standards for batteries and equipment
The commission flagged battery fires as a concern and heard from a former New York City fire commissioner about them, and it listed battery safety as an area for future work. The bill includes these standards:
- Batteries and electrical systems would have to meet recognized safety standards (UL 2271 for batteries; UL 2272 for electrical systems, or UL 2849 for e-bikes; or an equivalent).
- Devices up to 30 mph would need lights, brakes and a sound warning that meet bicycle safety rules.
- Devices over 30 mph would need lights, brakes and a horn that meet motor vehicle safety standards.
- Changing a device to make it faster, more powerful, or able to carry more people would be prohibited.
Mopeds stay in their own category
Mopeds would not be treated as micromobility devices under the bill. They are already registered with the Registry of Motor Vehicles today, for up to two years at a time. The bill would require a yearly registration with a sticker or plate, proof of liability insurance before registering, and would keep mopeds out of bike lanes and off-road recreational bike paths. Today, mopeds are allowed in bike lanes.
Better crash records
The bill would set up a working group led by the Registrar of Motor Vehicles, with state agencies, cities and towns, police chiefs, the micromobility industry and a citizen advocacy group. It would recommend future rules on topics including registration or ID stickers, licensing, insurance, education, speed limits, signs, and fines.
The group would also create one standard crash report for police and emergency medical services to use when a crash involves a motor vehicle, a vulnerable user (the bill’s term) or any micromobility device. Reports would go into a public database without names or other personal details. The group’s report would be due by December 31, 2027, and parts of the bill would start on January 1, 2028.
The rules today, the commission and the bill, side by side
| Topic | Today | Commission | Ride Safe Act |
|---|---|---|---|
| How devices are grouped | E-bike classes 1 and 2 (motor up to 750 watts, 20 mph); mopeds; motorized scooters | Four speed groups | Four speed groups; adds class 3 e-bikes |
| Minimum age | Mopeds: 16 | None for the slowest group; age limits for faster devices | Under 16 not allowed on devices over 20 mph |
| Sidewalks and paths | No e-bikes on sidewalks; no mopeds on off-road recreational bike paths | 20 mph default limit on shared use paths | Devices over 30 mph kept off sidewalks, bike lanes and paths |
| Identification | E-bikes carry a label with class, top speed and motor power; mopeds registered with the RMV | Micro ID for class 3 e-bikes | Yearly moped registration with proof of insurance; working group to recommend ID stickers |
| Crash records | No standard crash form for these devices in the sources reviewed | Better crash reporting | One standard crash form and a public database |
What this means for you
If you ride
Today, class 1 and class 2 e-bikes follow the same rules as regular bikes, and state law does not mention class 3. Under the bill, your device’s top speed would decide which helmet, equipment and riding rules apply. If your device can be modified to reach a faster class, the commission says the rules for its highest possible tier would apply.
If you walk
E-bikes already cannot be ridden on sidewalks. The bill would also keep devices faster than 30 mph off sidewalks and shared use paths, and the commission recommends a 20 mph default speed limit on those paths. When she filed the bill, the Governor said that too many people, especially pedestrians and young riders, are at risk.
If you are a parent
Today, anyone 16 or younger riding a bicycle, or carried on one, must wear a helmet, and moped riders must be at least 16. The bill would keep a helmet rule for riders and passengers 16 and under on the slowest devices, and would stop anyone under 16 from riding, buying or renting anything faster than 20 mph. The commission did not suggest a minimum age for the slowest group.
What this page cannot tell you
- Whether crashes are rising or falling. The commission’s own summary calls the crash data sparse and unreliable, so this page does not claim a trend.
- Future rules. The commission’s ideas are recommendations, and the bill’s rules are proposals, not rules in force.
- Later changes. The record here is as of September 23, 2026. This page will not be edited; any new bill will be covered on its own page.
Legislative timeline
- January 31, 2026: commission report filed with the Legislature.
- May 4, 2026: the Ride Safe Act (S.3077) filed by Governor Healey and sent to the Joint Committee on Transportation.
- May 28, 2026: committee hearing scheduled.
- July 22, 2026: the committee sent the bill for further study under a study order (S.3194). On July 23 the order went to the Senate Committee on Rules.
- As of September 23, 2026: no further action recorded.
If you were hurt in a crash involving one of these devices
None of the proposed changes are law, so a crash involving an e-bike, a scooter or a moped falls under the rules in force today, which differ by device.
Under state law, e-bikes and mopeds are not included in the definition of motor vehicles. Mopeds and motorized scooters may only be operated by someone with a driver’s license or learner’s permit. The sources reviewed for this page do not include a standard crash report form for these devices.
Citing this page
Larson Law Boston, “The Massachusetts Micromobility Commission Report, Explained,” published September 25, 2026. Legislative record reviewed September 23, 2026.
The tables on this page may be reproduced with attribution and a link to this page. Press and research inquiries: marketing@dlarsonlaw.com
Sources
- Special Commission on Micromobility report, January 2026, filed with the Legislature January 31, 2026.
- Small Wheels, Big Potential: A Summary of the Final Report of the Special Commission on Micromobility, Winter 2026.
- Micromobility Hub frequently asked questions and Supporting the Special Commission on Micromobility, MassDOT.
- An Act to enhance the safe use of micromobility devices, Senate No. 3077 (docket SD.3889), 194th General Court, filed May 4, 2026, including the Governor’s filing letter and bill history; Order S.3194.
- Governor Healey Files Ride Safe Act, Office of the Governor, May 4, 2026.
- Chapter 238 of the Acts of 2024, section 306, and the signing announcement, November 20, 2024.
- MGL chapter 90, section 1, section 1B and section 1E; chapter 85, section 11B and section 11B¾.
If you were hurt and have questions
These pages explain what the public record shows. They are not advice about a specific situation, and what applies to a particular case depends on its facts. If something here raises a question about your own circumstances, you are welcome to get in touch.