Land Transportation Office (LTO) head Atty. Vigor Mendoza II said last November 29 that the agency plans to propose the mandatory registration of e-bikes to the Department of Transportation (DOTr).
The LTO wants to remove the registration exemption for e-bikes due to concerns over road safety, especially when they get involved in road accidents.
Related
- How to book an appointment for driver’s license using LTO Online
- Here’s a reminder to handle lithium-ion batteries with care
- No Helmet Violation: Penalties and FAQs
As per Mendoza, “there should be no speed limitation,” and they should be registered “for as long as these vehicles are used” on public roads.
“We understand the side of the manufacturers and importers and the public, but the law is the law.”
The LTO Administrative Order No. 2021-039 states that e-bikes and e-mopeds with two wheels can be operated without a driver’s license or registration as long as their top speed doesn’t exceed 50 kph.
50 kph e-bikes are under the L1b category of the LTO Classification system and require users to wear a “motor protective helmet”. Meanwhile, those running up to 25kph fall under the L1a category and require riders to use helmets “similar to those designed for bicycles.”
L1a e-bikes can be traveled along “barangay roads, bike lanes, and other similar lanes” and can “cross national roads or by other roads when barangays are separated by it.”
Meanwhile, L1b e-bikes are “allowed to go beyond barangay roads to cover other local roads, provided that it will take the outermost part of the road adjacent to the sidewalk. It can pass main thoroughfares and national roads for purposes of crossing roads that have been divided by the aforementioned thoroughfares, but they should yield the right of way to incoming traffic.”
Meanwhile, e-bikes that falls under the L2b category and up should be registered.