Rental e-bikes are quickly gaining popularity in Australia, while e-scooter rentals decline due to safety concerns. In Sydney, the number of rental e-bikes nearly doubled in 2025 as US operator Lime added thousands more. E-scooters had grown fast across Australian cities but faced setbacks. Many cities froze operations amid safety worries. Major operators Neuron and Beam cut their combined e-scooter fleets by nearly 10%, leaving about 12,500 scooters in 24 places. Perth removed about 1,000 e-scooters after a fatal crash. A Western Australian inquiry suggested e-mobility could return under strict rules. In Bendigo and Adelaide, e-scooter rides dropped, leading to fleet cuts. In Melbourne, high council fees and safety fears forced operators to pull scooters from key areas. Stephen Coulter, an industry consultant, called the scooter slowdown a "moral panic" and said some cities, like Melbourne, overreacted by banning scooters overnight. He hopes state governments will help scooters return in 2026. Meanwhile, riders in Melbourne are switching to Lime’s e-bikes, which are gaining popularity. Cities that initially favored e-scooters, such as Hobart, Canberra, and Adelaide, are now opening up to e-bikes. Lime’s Asia Pacific head, Will Peters, expressed disappointment over Melbourne’s e-scooter ban but is optimistic about expanding e-bikes. Lime more than doubled its Sydney e-bike fleet to at least 7,000 in 2025. Sydney bans shared e-scooters, making e-bikes the star of shared electric mobility there. The demand for rental e-bikes is strong. NSW reports 600,000 residents use shared e-bikes monthly, up 100,000 from October. The City of Sydney said CBD e-bike trips almost doubled in 2025 to 3.7 million. Competition is rising with operators like HelloRide and Ario entering the market. Legal shared e-bikes are limited to 25 km/h and 250 watts, making them safer than many e-scooters. Police data shows e-scooters were linked to 10 deaths and 440 crashes in Queensland in 2025, while e-bikes were involved in fewer incidents. Ario’s general manager Adam Rossetto said e-bikes offer "a more traditional approach to mobility" and attract safer use. As e-scooters face challenges, rental e-bikes are stepping into the spotlight in Australia’s evolving electric transport scene.