The National Assembly has unanimously passed an Amendment Bill, which will now see the use of electric bikes being governed under the same legislative regime as cars, motorcycles and other categories of vehicles.

Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn told the National Assembly today that in 2022 alone, there were seven (7) fatal accidents involving electric bikes.

 “Last year there were seven electric motorcycle- related fatalities in the data. We have had a few already this year,” Minister Benn said. 

He said the Government will have to take a hard look at the wide variety of electric bikes that exist on the country’s roads, especially since there are concerns about safety.

 “We are of course, continue to be concerned about the fact that the motor cycles, too many of them present the largest number of fatalities on the roads, and it is related not simply to speeding and poor usage of the road but the lack of the use of helmets,” Minister Benn said. 

The Home Affairs Minister informed the National Assembly that in 2022, there were a total of 22,696 vehicles on the country’s roadways, and another 7,300 new vehicles have already been registered so far for this year.

With the increasing number of vehicles on the country’s roadways, the Minister said the Government is working with the Guyana Police Force to improve safety and reduce deaths and injuries on the roads.

Attorney General Anil Nandlall expressed concern about the reckless use of the country’s roads. He said he fully supports the move to regulate the use of electric bikes.

“We have had on our roadways for a number of years now these electric cycles, and they have begun to pose a problem because our legal legislative architecture,  does not in its current form cater for them, and there is no way to regulate them, there is no way to bring them within any form of regulatory framework other than by this amendment, and that is why Mr Speaker we are here. We are here also Mr Speaker,  in recognition of the fact that we are losing too many of our citizens on the roadways,” the Attorney General said. 

APNU+AFC Member of Parliament, Geeta Chandan-Edmond, in offering her support, said the Bill was born out of the need for public safety. She said too that it would allow for ownership to be established.

“These e-bikes can be tracked for law enforcement purposes and importantly, for the assessment of taxes. Cars, vans, buses, trucks, motorcycles, tractors, excavators, trailers, bulldozers, jeeps, forklifts, etc are subject to the provisions of the regime under this act and there is no reason why ebikes should not join this list. We, on this side of the house, believe that this amendment is necessary and we see no need to railroad the process,” MP Chandan-Edmond said.

The MP explained that the amendment essentially activates a requirement for licenses to be issued to operate and use an electric bike.

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