Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn filed an ordinance Monday to ban delivery app drivers in the city from using e-bikes, mopeds, or other motorized scooters to make deliveries, citing safety concerns.”On a near daily basis, city residents have shared how these motorized vehicles, which can travel more than 20 mph, do not obey the rules of the road – driving the wrong way on our streets, on sidewalks, speeding, running stop signs and red lights, weaving between vehicles at red lights, and posing an unpredictable danger to pedestrian safety,” Flynn’s ordinance read.He cites an August 2025 incident where a man was struck and killed after being hit by an e-bike inside a crosswalk on Boylston Street, and also mentions the deadly e-bike crash in Stoneham that killed a 13-year-old.Flynn said that part of the problem is third-party delivery companies “incentivizing low-wage workers to prioritize speed over safety in order to receive more order assignments.”NewsCenter 5 reached out to Uber and Doordash for comment but did not hear back. The mayor’s office also did not respond.Boston residents who spoke with NewsCenter 5 said the ban may be excessive.”There’s two sides to this,” Sam Hinkley said. “I think keep them around, but enforce it a little bit better.”Tim Nothnagel said if the e-bikes were to be banned, delivery fees may go up.”The delivery driver is going to have to use a car, and that’s more expensive on them,” he said.The Boston Police Department has worked to crack down on unlicensed drivers and unregistered bikes, but Flynn said the driving itself has gone unchecked.”We have to enforce the rules on the book, and Boston can’t be the wild west, we need to enforce our traffic laws,” Flynn said.His proposal was sent to committee for review.
BOSTON —
Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn filed an ordinance Monday to ban delivery app drivers in the city from using e-bikes, mopeds, or other motorized scooters to make deliveries, citing safety concerns.
“On a near daily basis, city residents have shared how these motorized vehicles, which can travel more than 20 mph, do not obey the rules of the road – driving the wrong way on our streets, on sidewalks, speeding, running stop signs and red lights, weaving between vehicles at red lights, and posing an unpredictable danger to pedestrian safety,” Flynn’s ordinance read.
He cites an August 2025 incident where a man was struck and killed after being hit by an e-bike inside a crosswalk on Boylston Street, and also mentions the deadly e-bike crash in Stoneham that killed a 13-year-old.
Flynn said that part of the problem is third-party delivery companies “incentivizing low-wage workers to prioritize speed over safety in order to receive more order assignments.”
NewsCenter 5 reached out to Uber and Doordash for comment but did not hear back. The mayor’s office also did not respond.
Boston residents who spoke with NewsCenter 5 said the ban may be excessive.
“There’s two sides to this,” Sam Hinkley said. “I think keep them around, but enforce it a little bit better.”
Tim Nothnagel said if the e-bikes were to be banned, delivery fees may go up.
“The delivery driver is going to have to use a car, and that’s more expensive on them,” he said.
The Boston Police Department has worked to crack down on unlicensed drivers and unregistered bikes, but Flynn said the driving itself has gone unchecked.
“We have to enforce the rules on the book, and Boston can’t be the wild west, we need to enforce our traffic laws,” Flynn said.
His proposal was sent to committee for review.
