The world of urban transportation is undergoing a quiet revolution, with electric bikes (ebikes) taking center stage in Australian cities. While e-scooters once dominated the scene, a 'moral panic' over safety has led to a decline in their popularity, allowing ebikes to flourish. But here's where it gets interesting: the ebike boom is not just a passing trend. It's a shift in urban mobility that's reshaping the way people move within cities. 'Bikes are picking up in the absence of scooters and the operators are becoming better at aligning them with customer need,' says Stephen Coulter, an industry consultant. 'Ebikes are offering a more traditional approach to mobility, delivering less stupidity from a section of users.'
The story begins in Sydney, where the number of ebikes on the streets nearly doubled in 2025 as US operator Lime deployed thousands more. This surge in ebike popularity comes as e-scooter hire operations struggle. In fact, e-scooters had been faster to take off around Australia than ebikes, with all capital cities permitting the devices in early 2025. However, operations froze over the course of the year due to safety concerns, shrinking access and unpopularity.
One of the key factors driving the ebike boom is the 'moral panic' over safety. This has led to overreactions from some local governments, like the City of Melbourne, who withdrew e-scooters overnight in September 2024. However, state governments could help e-scooters return in 2026, with the Victorian and New South Wales governments approving share scheme operators, while WA and Queensland respond to state inquiries. Meanwhile, residents in Melbourne have swapped to Lime's ebikes, as bikes are picking up in the absence of scooters.
The ebike boom is not limited to Sydney. Cities that previously only adopted e-scooters have moved towards bikes. Hobart adopted Beam bikes in May, Canberra invited applications for ebike and e-scooter operations, and Adelaide will issue a similar invitation this year. Lime's Asia Pacific head, Will Peters, said the company was disheartened when Melbourne forced out its e-scooters but was hopeful of growing its ebike offering. It is capped at operating 1,200 ebikes across inner Melbourne but recently debuted bikes and scooters in the Darebin municipality and is watching for a chance to expand into nearby Merri-bek.
The ebike boom has also been fueled by the lack of scooters in Sydney. With e-scooter use illegal in the city, including for shared schemes, Lime more than doubled its Sydney fleet to at least 7,000 ebikes over 2025. The company is bidding to boost ridership further in Sydney, offering redesigned bikes and subscriber discounts as it negotiates to expand as far west as Parramatta. 'How do we make Sydney the best market?' Peters said. 'I think we can be bigger than London, we can be bigger than Paris.'
Ebikes boomed in Paris after the first European city to invite shared e-scooters also became the first to ban them in 2023. Similarly, Sydney's lack of scooters has supported rapid growth in rental ebike use, with 600,000 NSW residents now using a shared ebike monthly – 100,000 more than in October, government data suggests. The City of Sydney reported shared ebike trips in the CBD nearly doubled in 2025, to 3.7m. Demand has attracted competition, with HelloRide operating 3,000 ebikes and Ario bringing a fleet of 2,700 since it entered in late 2024.
However, the ebike boom is not without its challenges. Shared ebikes are legal for road use, restricted to speeds of 25km/h and power of 250 watts, unlike illegal and modified ebikes which have attracted government crackdowns amid a nationwide surge in injuries. E-scooters and other personal mobility devices were involved in 10 deaths and 440 crashes in Queensland in 2025, preliminary police data shows. Legal ebikes, both privately owned and rented, were involved in four deaths and 235 crashes.
Despite these challenges, the ebike boom shows no signs of slowing down. As the world of urban transportation evolves, ebikes are set to play a central role in shaping the future of cities. 'Ebikes are offering a more traditional approach to mobility, delivering less stupidity from a section of users,' says Adam Rossetto, general manager of Ario. 'They provide a more traditional approach to mobility … that delivers less stupidity, I think, from a section of users.'
