We call on the UK Government to introduce a requirement for all electric bike (e-bike) riders to hold a valid driving licence — whether that be a car, motorcycle, or a newly created bike-specific licence.

E-bikes can be heavy, powerful, and reach high speeds — in some cases, as fast as scooters or mopeds. Yet unlike those vehicles, they can currently be ridden by anyone, with no training, no awareness of road rules, and no licensing requirements.

This creates serious and growing dangers for pedestrians, drivers, and cyclists — especially in dense urban areas. E-bike users often do not understand road signage, junction priority, or the Highway Code, leading to reckless or erratic behaviour.

We are not calling for a ban. E-bikes are a modern and sustainable form of transport. But their widespread and increasing use must be met with appropriate structure and accountability — especially given their speed and weight. They should be treated more like mopeds than bicycles when it comes to regulation.

We also ask the government to:

* Require all bike-rental apps (such as Lime, Dott, Voi, HumanForest, etc.) to verify that riders hold a valid licence before renting, to ensure public safety at scale.
* Ban e-bikes from parks and pedestrian-priority zones, where their speed and lack of regulation poses a serious threat to public safety.
* Treat drunk or intoxicated e-bike riding with the same legal seriousness as drunk driving, including the possibility of losing one’s licence.
* Create a simple, accessible e-bike licence scheme — ensuring that riders understand the rules of the road.

In many of the most serious pedestrian incidents, e-bike riders have fled the scene, and because these bikes require no registration or licence, they are difficult or impossible to identify. We need accountability for people renting and operating these vehicles in shared public spaces.

We fully support greener cities and believe e-bikes can play a valuable role in reducing traffic and improving air quality. We want to see London — and other UK cities — become bike-friendly, clean-air urban spaces. But it has to be done well, with safety, structure, and responsibility at the core.