MTA bans hoverboards on buses, trains, effective immediately

Hoverboards, similar to the one above, are banned on buses and subway and railroad trains, officials with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said Wednesday. Photo taken on Dec. 15, 2015. Credit: Barry Sloan
Effective immediately, hoverboards are banned on buses and subway and railroad trains, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said Wednesday.
The agency said possession of hoverboards is prohibited on trains, buses or at stations of the Long Island Rail Road, New York City Subway, New York City Buses, Metro-North Railroad, Staten Island Railway and Access-A-Ride.
It will advertise the policy through a new campaign using “bubble people,” with the headline: “Hoverboards Not Allowed.”
“The MTA’s safety rules have long prohibited the use of personal wheeled vehicles, such as skateboards, skates or scooters, in train stations,” according to a news release. “The rules of conduct also prohibit customers from possessing hazardous or flammable materials into the public transportation network, and the lithium-ion batteries used to power hoverboards pose the risk of fire.”
MTA chief safety officer David Mayer cited safety as a primary reason for the ban.
He noted the lithium batteries used to power some of the boards can pose a risk of excessive heat, fire or explosion.
Also, a recent study showed that nearly 80 percent of hoverboards did not have proper certification of battery testing.

A hoverboard is pictured at the Commack Fire Department Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2015. Rep. Steve Israel visited the fire department Tuesday and called on the Department of Energy to allocate existing funds to research the safety of lithium-ion batteries used in holiday gifts, including hoverboards. Credit: Barry Sloan
“For obvious reasons, it is not safe to use hoverboards, skateboards or other personal wheeled vehicles on station platforms,” Mayer said. “We’re equally concerned about the safety risk of bringing devices that pose fire hazards into the confined spaces inside trains and buses.”
The ban will be enforced by MTA Police on Metro-North, the LIRR, and Staten Island Railway, and by the NYPD on New York City’s subways and buses, according to the release.
More information is available at mta.lirr/info.