Transportation Ministry to require license for electric bike riders

Israelis will be required as of January 1 to have a driver’s license or pass a special test in order to ride an electric bicycle, the Transportation Ministry announces today.

The ministry says Israelis may today begin taking the theory test, which is made up of 30 questions on the proper riding of electric bikes and road safety. Those who pass will be granted an A3 license, a new class introduced by the ministry.

“The theory test for bicycle riders are meant to give youngsters knowledge an early familiarity with traffic laws, both as bicycle riders and pedestrians,” Transportation Minister Israel Katz says in a statement.

The new regulations come after the government approved stricter rules for electric bicycle riders following a deadly crash in September in which a 17-year-old was killed while riding his electric bike in a hit-and-run.