Boston City Council Hearing on Ordinance to Ban Mopeds and E-Bikes for Food Delivery – April 7, 2026
Boston City Council Hearing on Ordinance to Ban Mopeds and E-Bikes for Food Delivery – April 7, 2026
The Boston City Council Committee on Government Operations, chaired by Councillor Gabriela Caleta Zapata, held a hearing on April 7, 2026, at 10:08 AM to discuss Docket #0325, an ordinance amending City of Boston Code Section 17-22 (Road Safety and Accountability for Delivery Providers). The proposed amendment would ban the use of mopeds and e-bikes for third-party food delivery. Councillor Ed Flynn, the lead sponsor, argued the measure is necessary to address public safety hazards, while several colleagues, the Boston Police Department, and many public speakers opposed the ban, urging implementation of the existing 2025 ordinance first.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Carmen Blyden (Boston Cyclist Union): Opposed the ban, stating it disproportionately harms immigrant and low-wage workers, would increase traffic congestion and emissions, and undermines the current ordinance set to take effect April 11, 2026. Called for data-driven regulation.
- Tim Cook (Downtown resident): Supported the ban, describing repeated traffic violations by e-bikes and mopeds on sidewalks and the wrong way, creating hazards for pedestrians.
- Richard Cohen (Beacon Street resident): Supported the ban, citing dangerous driving on sidewalks, bike lanes, and private ways, and noting that delivery apps incentivize speed over safety.
- Walter O'Neill (Tremont Street resident): Supported the ban, reporting daily violations including wrong-way driving, high speeds, and a personal incident of road rage by a moped driver.
- Christian Cullen (Back Bay resident and surgery resident): Supported the ban, stating he has witnessed trauma from moped crashes in the ER and that delivery platform incentives reward unsafe behavior.
- Cassandra (North End resident, disability advocate): Supported the ban, expressing concerns for vulnerable pedestrians and noting near misses with mopeds on sidewalks.
- Matt Ryan (Beacon Hill resident): Supported the ban, describing a near miss with his fiancée and asserting the problem is widespread.
- Lauren Flaherty Rossi (South Boston mother): Supported the ban, stating she fears crossing the street with her children due to dangerous moped driving, and referenced two child pedestrian fatalities in her neighborhood since 2018.
- Chase Dustin (Boston resident): Opposed the ban, arguing it would harm workers' livelihoods, increase car use and congestion, and that the council should focus on enforcement of existing laws instead.
- Eduardo (immigrant advocate, district unspecified): Supported the ban, reporting reckless driving and hate speech/harassment by moped drivers, including against the LGBTQ community and women.
- Jen Starr (Beacon Hill, Traffic & Parking for Beacon Hill Civic Association): Opposed the ban, supporting Councillor Durkin's proposed fee to fund enforcement, and called for regulation rather than a ban.
- Elijah Evans (JP resident, CEO of Bike Stomp Bombs): Opposed the ban, calling micromobility a lifeline for low-income and immigrant workers and arguing cars pose greater dangers. Accused the proposal of creating “mobility apartheid.”
- Montell Caleb (Back Bay resident, community organizer): Opposed the ban, arguing it conflates mopeds with e-bikes, fails to address infrastructure, and urged the council to focus on enforcement and education.
- Clifton Braithwaite (Roxbury/Dorchester resident): Opposed a blanket ban but supported identification requirements for delivery drivers to enhance safety, especially for seniors, and stressed job preservation.
- Janiel Hart (Jamaica Plain resident): Opposed the ban, stating cars are a greater danger and better infrastructure is needed instead of bans.
- Eric Cortell (South End resident): Opposed the ban, clarifying that most delivery vehicles are 150cc motorcycles (not mopeds) and are often unregistered, and pointed to an existing 1998 state law governing bicycle messengers that includes insurance and badge requirements but is not enforced.
- Tiffany Cogell (Executive Director, Boston Cyclist Union): Opposed the ban, citing data that 30–35% of food delivery car drivers have been in crashes, and 20% of work-related motor vehicle fatalities are delivery drivers. Argued cars cause the vast majority of crashes and that the ban is punitive and inequitable.
- Luann O'Connor (President, City Point Neighborhood Association, South Boston): Supported the ban, describing dangerous driving behavior and stating food delivery is a convenience that can be done by car.
Discussion Items
- Councillor Ed Flynn (lead sponsor): Argued the ban is needed because moped and e-bike deliveries have made streets unsafe, citing a fatal crash near Copley Square, a 300% increase in e-bike injuries nationally, and 525 crash reports involving scooters in 2025. He stated that enforcement by BPD is unrealistic due to staffing shortages and that the existing ordinance (passed 2025) has not yet taken effect.
- Councillor Erin Murphy: Supported balancing safety and convenience, noted the police staffing crisis, and emphasized the need for strong enforcement of traffic laws for all vehicles.
- Councillor Michael Durkin: Opposed the ban, citing a letter from BPD warning that enforcement could be arbitrary and harm community trust. He advocated letting the current ordinance be implemented first to collect data, and reiterated his support for a 15-cent fee per delivery to fund enforcement.
- Councillor Henry Peppen (Fenway): Opposed a blanket ban, calling for more conversation, inclusion of delivery drivers, and data from the upcoming ordinance before drastic measures.
- Councillor John Fitzgerald: Questioned whether the city is ready to embrace moped culture, noted enforcement capacity issues, and suggested a need for more guardrails before a ban.
- Councillor Louis Jesus: Supported regulation over a ban, emphasizing the importance of data and implementation, and noted that cars also pose safety and environmental problems.
- Councillor Michelle Wu (via letter): Noted climate and micromobility goals, and stressed that delivery drivers use these vehicles as an accessible job.
- Councillor Kendra Lara: Asked about data collection and the timeline for receiving it; noted concerns about enforcement equity and the impact on restaurants and workers.
- Councillor Julia Mejia: Advocated for automated enforcement and state-level action; opposed a ban, preferring the current regulatory approach.
- Chair Gabriela Coletta Zapata: Summarized that she takes BPD's concerns seriously, noted the difficulty of distinguishing delivery drivers from private users, and emphasized the need to include delivery drivers in future conversations. She stated the topic will remain in committee.
- Mia Capone (Director of Parking and Curbside Management): Representing the administration, she opposed the ban, arguing it would increase congestion and car use, harm low-wage workers, and conflict with climate and micromobility goals. She detailed the existing ordinance's requirements (insurance, data reporting, permits) and noted that Grubhub is already permitted, Uber Eats' application is under review, and enforcement begins April 11, 2026.
Key Outcomes
- No vote taken. The hearing was informational, and the topic will remain in committee for further discussion.
- The existing ordinance (passed in 2025) is set to go into full enforcement on April 11, 2026, with the city continuing to work with delivery providers on permits, insurance, and data reporting.
- Several councilors expressed intent to oppose the proposed ban and prioritize data collection from the existing ordinance before considering amendments.
- The Boston Police Department's letter, read into the record, opposed the ban, citing enforcement challenges and potential damage to community trust.
Meeting Transcript
For the record, my name is Gabriela Caleta Zapata, District One City Councilor, and I'm the chair of the Boston City Council Committee on Government Operations. Today is April seventh, twenty twenty-six, and the exact time is ten oh eight. This hearing is being recorded. It is also being live streamed at Boston.gov forward slash city dash council dash TV and broadcast on Xfinity Channel Eight, RCN Channel 82, and files channel nine six four. Written comments may be sent to the committee email at CCC.gov and will be made a part of the record to all counselors. Public testimony will be taken at the beginning in uh in the middle and also at the end of this hearing. Individuals will be called on in the order in which they signed up, and we'll have two minutes to testify. If you are interested in testifying in person, please add your name to the sign-up sheet near the entrance of the city uh council chamber. If you're looking to testify virtually, please email our Central Staff liaison, Megan at M E A G A N dot C O R U G E D O at Boston.gov for the link, and your name will be added to the list. Today's hearing is on docket number zero three two five ordinance amending city of Boston Code Ordinance 17-22, road safety and accountability for delivery providers. Today I'm joined by my colleagues in order of arrival, Councillor Flynn, Councillor Durkin, and Councillor Murphy. Members of my team will be listening in to this discussion. And I plan to review the recording. Thank you, Liz Burden, President of the City Council and Representative of Alston Brighton. I'll now pass it to my colleagues for any opening remarks that they may have. Um, starting with the lead sponsor, Councillor Flynn. Councillor Flynn, you have the floor. Thank you, Madam Chair, for holding this important hearing today. Thank you to my fellow counselors for being here. I filed this amendment last September and refiled it again in February. This is intended to remove mopeds and e-bikes from third party food delivery. It's important to acknowledge that someone lost their life last year after a crash with the moped near Copley Square. I'm afraid if this body does not act, more people will get hurt, including the drivers themselves. Food delivery was not something broken in our city that needed to be fixed. But just a few years ago, these large big tech third-party food delivery companies in the city encouraged workers to use mopeds to make these deliveries. The reason given was because of one lane blocked on Boylston Street. Now, across Boston, our streets are less safe with mopeds going through red lights, stop signs on sidewalks in on the wrong way on one-way streets, as they reportedly incentivized to prioritize speed over safety for more assignments, higher ratings, ultimately keeping their job. That made our existing pedestrian safety crisis worse from the speeding cars we already had. As I'm as I mentioned, a person died at Copley Square. No very reasonable person believes food delivery was violating traffic laws at that scale previously. Someone's delivery order is not an emergency. With all we're required to do with lower staffing levels and mandatory overtime, Boston police resources are now also being sidetracked to enforce a reckless big tech food delivery model from the pandemic. At a community meeting across the city for the last few years, residents continue to report these issues. While we highlight enforcement, it's unrealistic to expect Boston police to consistently enforce all of the hundreds of mopeds every day with staffing levels and overstretched resources. This is not about cars versus bikes, e-bikes versus mopeds. No reasonable person believes that our roads are safer for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers over the last few years. In the early days of the pandemic, Council Flaherty and I also highlighted how these large technology corporations were charging mum and pop shops 30%. City and state and national officials all highlighted that they do not classify drivers as employees. When I started on the city council, the council came together to address Airbnb and investor units. Last April we passed the mayor's road safety ordinance to require third-party deliveries to obtain a permit. But it's not at all clear to drivers where they'll get this insurance. If you were a private insurance company, would you offer policies when you see this type of risk? Let's have the courage to admit that what is taking place now on Boston's roads and sidewalks is not working. We need to acknowledge reality. Boston can no longer be the wild wild west. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Councillor Flynn. Counselor Murphy. Um thank you, Councillor Flynn, for refiling and continuing this conversation. Thank you, Chair, for having this today.
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