Know the Ins & Outs of Beijing's New Scooter Rules

Beijing's New Rules for Scooters Are Now in Effect

Irene Li, Associate Editor | Nov 2, 2021 12:47 pm | Add a comment | 3651 reads

As of Nov 1, Beijing will no longer allow electric scooters that do not meet certain standards to be on the road.

The new policy targets scooters based on speed – scooters must now only be able to travel up to 25-kilometers-per hour – and weight – a scooter's weight, excluding battery, cannot exceed 55 kilograms. Plus, residents are required to obtain new license plates for their e-bikes. Yellow plates, which have been rendered illegal by the new rules, must be replaced with white plates.

Even though policy has only just taken effect, its already affecting ordinary residents and businesses. Many e-bike stores have seen a huge influx of customers attempting to replace their old, non-standard scooters with brand-new, standardized vehicles.

But, its hitting certain groups, like food delivery drivers, particularly hard. As one driver put it: “This new law limits the maximum speed of scooters to 25-kilometers-per-hour, which means it takes longer for me to deliver food.”

Besides speed and weight limits, how does enforcement of the new rules work in practice? Beijing's traffic police are already acting to target violators. If police find anyone riding a non-standard e-bike on the street, they will first give a warning, then a fine of RMB 300-500, and then, if there are further violations, they'll temporarily impound the vehicle.

With the new law in effect, most Beijingers – roughly 3.3 million as of Nov 2 to be exact – have gotten new registered plates, but there are still some riders who are stuck in limbo with temporary license plates. Up until yesterday afternoon, police in Dongcheng district have found 147 traffic violators and have temporarily impounded 16 non-standardized vehicles.

Most violators seem to be unaware of the latest policy. “I totally forgot that I'm not allowed on the road now” one rider said.“I didn’t get to Beijing until last year and haven't heard anything about the new law yet” said another.

To do away with any doubt for those unaware of the new rules, here are some specifics:

The most important thing is you cannot drive your non-standardized vehicle anymore. Better dump your old vehicle and get a new fix as soon as possible!

What if you want to reconstruct your old scooter – let’s say replacing an original part – to get a longer battery life or to allow it to drive faster than 25 kph? No, that’s illegal and super dangerous. Plus, if caught, you'll get dealt an RMB 1000 fine.

What about taking a registered e-bike on the road without proper new license plates? Absolutely not!