ATTT is Preparing Changes to the Traffic Regulations. Will Electric Scooters and Motorcycles Require a License in Panama?

The Transit and Land Transportation Authority (ATTT) is preparing changes to the Panama Traffic Regulations to establish new rules on the use of electric scooters and motorcycles, given the growth of these modes of transportation on public roads.  Among the changes being evaluated is the possibility of requiring a driver’s license for users of electric vehicles, as explained by the director of the ATTT, Nicolás Brea.  The proposal is still under discussion within a working group analyzing the updating of the regulations, so the requirement for a license for electric scooters and motorcycles has not yet been approved nor is there a defined date for its implementation. 

Will Electric Scooters and Motorcycles Require a License in Panama? 

Brea argued that those who use a vehicle on public roads must know the general traffic rules, regardless of whether it runs on fuel or electricity.  “Anyone using public roads, whether in a combustion engine or electric vehicle, must have a license because they must have the ability or prior knowledge of the general traffic regulations,” he said.  The official added that these vehicles are still considered vehicles even if they travel at lower speeds. While he did not specify a date for implementing the changes, Brea assured that the working group expects to reach a decision soon. 

However, Juventino Quiroz, a specialist in sustainable urban mobility, believes that before establishing a license as a requirement, the existing ambiguities about where and under what conditions these vehicles can circulate must be resolved.  Quiroz explained that the regulation must consider parameters such as speed, as well as clearly differentiating which vehicles can use the sidewalks and which must travel on the streets.  “Some people walk on the sidewalk and others walk in the street. So, those who walk on the sidewalk have to respect the rules of the sidewalk and those who walk in the street have to respect the rules of the street,” he explained.  In his opinion, one of the challenges will be to establish criteria that allow the circulation of vehicles according to their characteristics and speeds.

They Propose Vehicle Registration and Insurance for Electric Vehicles.

Quiroz also suggested that future regulation should begin from the moment the vehicle is acquired.  According to the specialist, vehicles intended to circulate on the streets should have a vehicle registration that allows them to be identified and subsequently establish the necessary mechanisms to obtain insurance.  The discussion arises at a time when the use of electric vehicles, scooters and electric motorcycles in Panama has gained presence as a mobility alternative.  For now, the ATTT continues working on modifications to the Traffic Regulations and has not set a date for the entry into force of new provisions .