For the first time this year, anyone cruising around the state on an electric scooter will be doing so with the blessing of the Montana Legislature.
Guidelines for the devices and other seatless rides, such as electric unicycles and skateboards, were written into law this spring with the passage of HB 588. The changes take effect Oct. 1.
Rep. Neil Duram, R-Eureka, carried the bill after seeing a boy around town riding his “one-wheeled wonder,” which Duram described as a motorized unicycle equipped with a headlight and taillight. (Electric unicycles have only a wheel and foot platforms — no seat or post. Riders lean forward and backward to control the speed.)
Despite following traffic laws, the boy was riding illegally, Duram said, since seatless devices like his hadn’t been authorized on public roadways.
“I suspect your community has a kid just about like him,” Duram said. “This really is his transportation.”
Duram said the same applies to many people who have lost their driving privileges due to drunken driving. As the Eureka police chief and a former Montana Highway Patrol trooper, he’s seen it first-hand.
Larry Flynn, deputy director at the Montana Department of Transportation, said that while HB 588 “brings us current” with the range of products available today, the technology is always evolving.
“Even by next [legislative] session, you never know what might emerge that will need to be addressed separately,” Flynn said.
No special license is required to ride an electric scooter or other seatless device. For mopeds and motorcycles, riders must obtain a motorcycle endorsement on their driver’s license.
Under the new law, riders of motorized scooters or similar devices must obey all traffic laws and have white headlights and red taillights affixed to either the device or to the rider’s body or helmet. Riders younger than 18 years must wear a helmet.
Motorized devices are not allowed on sidewalks unless the motor is off and they are being pedaled or pushed along. Riders must yield to pedestrians. Cities may enact their own sidewalk bans.
The new law states that the power source for motorized seatless devices “may not be capable of propelling the device at a speed exceeding 30 miles an hour on a level surface.”
Some products available today are faster than that, but it’s not clear how law enforcement will treat those devices. The Department of Justice did not respond to a request for comment.
Bozeman and Great Falls have both hosted scooter rental programs in recent years.
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Bozeman is in its second year partnering with the national e-scooter company Bird. This summer, tourists, residents and local business owners have noticed an increase in the number of riders. While new designated parking areas have helped keep idle scooters off sidewalks, some residents remain concerned about how the scooters are used.
Matt Danzer, a 15-year officer with the Bozeman Police Department, thinks scooters are generally a good alternative to drunken driving: A rider might hurt themselves or a pedestrian, “but nothing like the damage they could do in a car.”
But there were downsides, Danzer said. Most people renting scooters didn’t bring helmets, so they rode without one. He also saw one of the devices thrown off a parking garage and another into a dumpster.
“I think it’s a lot like riding a bicycle, you know,” Danzer said. “We have people who are going to ride responsibly and people who aren’t.”
Ryan Landolfi, a cyclist in Missoula, is more skeptical. He watches riders of motorized devices dart back and forth between the bike lane and regular traffic. His friend, a firefighter, responded to a wreck in which the rider hit a pothole and broke an ankle. Electric unicycles, in particular, worry him.
“I think it’s a lot like riding a bicycle, you know. We have people who are going to ride responsibly and people who aren’t.”
Matt Danzer, Bozeman Police Department
“They’re going, like, 30 miles an hour,” Landolfi said. “Those look terrifying. I see them zipping down Russell [Street] every day. … It seems kind of crazy that those things are street-legal.”
Flynn, of the transportation department, said that predictable driving is key to safety when scooters and unicyclists mix with regular traffic.
“I think where we have incidents is where people suddenly dart out into traffic or don’t follow the law or behave erratically,” he said.
Flynn said if drivers remain alert, lawful and predictable, the state’s roadways will stay safe.
“We want to stress that all vehicle drivers, whether it’s a car or e-bike or whatever it is … everyone has the responsibility to share the roadway,” Flynn said.
In addition to safety concerns for the newly authorized rides, some see a problem with the feasibility of owning such devices.
Dax Sursely, who owns Billings Powersports, said electric scooters are a “nightmare” to maintain, in part because there are so many different brands with different parts and designs. He doesn’t sell them in his shop, but he repairs them.
“People are coming from other towns because nobody will work on them,” he said.
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