Jareth Swayze of Upway testifies on illegal e-motos and Class 3 ban

Good afternoon.

My name is Jareth Swayze.

I'm here on behalf of Upway.

We're the Carvana of e-bikes.

We also co-chair the Next Mile Coalition, an industry group advocating for a sensible micromobility policy.

Upway's U.S.

Headquarters is in Brooklyn, where we sell high-quality, safety-tested electric bikes, and we want more New Yorkers riding them.

E-bikes are a great equalizer.

They flatten hills, cost less than a car, reduce traffic, and cut pollution.

Upway is committed to connecting more New Yorkers to affordable street legal vehicles.

Unfortunately, the market is currently flooded with a very different product.

Illegal e-motos that can hit more than 50 miles an hour are being sold online as e-bikes.

These are not e-bikes, and they meet none of the safety standards that companies like Upway are committed to.

They invite people to ride recklessly and have been involved in a majority of fatal micromobility crashes in New York City.

We're encouraged by positive movement at the state level.

Bill S-10700 would help

stop e-moto sales in New York by increasing penalties and enforcement in stores and online.

We strongly encourage the council to focus your attention on bills that will rein in these high-speed devices.

And to that end, Upway supports Intro 244, which ends the sale of Class 3 e-bikes in the city, which we believe 20 is plenty.

Intro 988, which stops the sale from passing off registerable vehicles as e-bikes.

This bill, however, should be amended to also target e-motos, which cannot be registered and should not be sold in our city.

Intro 985, which lets riders exchange illegal devices for legal e-bikes.

It needs real funding to work, but is essential to getting dangerous vehicles off of the road equitably.

Upway has a large warehouse with more than 1,000 high-quality, affordable bikes on hand, plus lithium-ion recycling capacity, and would be enthusiastic.

Thank you very much.

Myra?