{"id":330252,"date":"2026-05-24T07:14:15","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T07:14:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/330252\/"},"modified":"2026-05-24T07:14:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T07:14:15","slug":"what-fresno-families-need-to-know-about-e-bikes-and-mopeds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/330252\/","title":{"rendered":"What Fresno families need to know about e-bikes and mopeds"},"content":{"rendered":"

E-bikes and mopeds are a popular mode of transportation in Fresno, but they often make the news for the wrong reasons.<\/p>\n

On April 26, two e-bikes collided<\/a> in front of Edison High School, resulting in one rider being hospitalized On May 1, a 13-year-old boy on a motorized scooter was killed<\/a> by a collision with a truck at the intersection of Bullard and Palm. On May 15, a 16-year-old boy on a moped ran a red light<\/a> and collided with a vehicle.<\/p>\n

Fresno State has responded by banning<\/a> e-bikes, mopeds, and similar vehicles from campus beginning in the fall.<\/p>\n

What are e-bikes and mopeds?<\/p>\n

Assembly Bill 1096<\/a>, passed in 2015, defines an electric bicycle, or e-bike, as \u201ca bicycle equipped with fully operable pedals and an electric motor of less than 750 watts.\u201d The bill further categorizes e-bikes into three classes.<\/p>\n

Class 3 e-bikes are \u201cequipped with a motor that provides assistance only when the rider is pedaling, and that ceases to provide assistance when the bicycle reaches the speed of 28 miles per hour, and equipped with a speedometer.\u201d Class 3 e-bikes can only be operated by persons 16 years or older. Unlike Class 1 and 2 bikes, Class 3 bikes are prohibited from public paths including sidewalks.<\/p>\n

The bill mandated that all e-bikes sold in California would be manufactured with labels describing their class category and wattage.<\/p>\n

A motorized scooter or moped is defined by Assembly Bill 1096 as being having two or three wheels, a motor that produces less than 4 gross brake horsepower, and a maximum speed of no more than 30 miles per hour on level ground.<\/p>\n

Manufacturers of motorized scooters or mopeds are required to disclose to buyers that their insurance policy may not cover accidents involving this vehicle.<\/p>\n

According to Fresno Police Department traffic officer Jason Hurley, \u201cYou have to have a driver\u2019s license or permit to be able to ride one of the e-scooters.\u201d Hurley emphasized that riders need the same license or permit used to operate cars, and that there is no separate license for e-scooters.<\/p>\n

E-bikes do not require a driver\u2019s license to operate, while mopeds do<\/a>.<\/p>\n

How can minors stay safe on e-bikes and mopeds?<\/p>\n

On May 4, the Fresno County Police Department shared an infographic<\/a> to Facebook urging riders to follow regulations regarding e-bikes, including wearing helmets and stopping at stop signs. The department also shared these tips with parents:<\/p>\n

Talk to your child about the rules of the roadMake sure their e-bike is age-appropriate and compliantAlways require a helmetSupervise younger riders or restrict them to safe riding areas \"Fresno Fresno Police traffic officer Jason Hurley informs a Clovis North student of the laws that apply to e-scooter riders Thursday morning, May 21, 2026 in Clovis. The rider was 13 years old and riding on the sidewalk. Hurley said e-scooter riders need to have a driver\u2019s license or driver\u2019s permit, stay off sidewalks and ride with a helmet. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com \"Fresno Fresno Police traffic officer Jason Hurley addresses a Clovis West student with the law regarding riding e-scooters on sidewalks Thursday morning, May 21, 2026 in Clovis. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com \"Motorized Motorized scooters are seen locked outside Fresno State’s Lynda and Stewart Resnick Student Union Monday, April 27, 2026 in Fresno. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com
\n Related Stories from Fresno Bee<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"E-bikes and mopeds are a popular mode of transportation in Fresno, but they often make the news for…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":330253,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[112,114,113],"class_list":["post-330252","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fresno","tag-fresno","tag-fresno-headlines","tag-fresno-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/330252","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=330252"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/330252\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/330253"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=330252"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=330252"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=330252"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}