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DRIVING

What types of vehicles can you drive without a licence in Austria?

From e-bikes to moped cars, here's what you are allowed to drive without a license and the rules you should keep in mind.

Published: 19 June 2024 13:15 CEST
What types of vehicles can you drive without a licence in Austria?
Photo by Viktor Bystrov on Unsplash

You do not need a driving license to move around in Austria using your own vehicle – depending on the vehicle, that is.

Here, we list the vehicles that you are allowed to use without having a license.

Electric bicycles and scooters 

Using an electric bike or an electric scooter is a convenient and sporty way to get around if you do not have a driving license.

You can ride an e-bike or an e-scooter alone from the age of 12. Younger children need to be accompanied by an adult (above 16 years old) and wear a helmet.

When it comes to e-bikes and e-scooters, the rated continuous power of the motor cannot exceed 250 watts, and the speed is not allowed to exceed 25 km per hour.

When riding, you are not allowed to have a blood alcohol level higher than 0.8 per mille, and if you want to make a call, it is only allowed if you use a hands-free device.

The vehicles should be used on bicycle paths but can also be taken on the road if there is no cycling path available and the road is not a highway.

Riding on the sidewalk is not allowed, similar to regular bicycles.

Mopeds

According to the law, a moped is a motorbike with an engine capacity of up to 50 cubic centimetres and a maximum design speed of 45 km per hour. 

To drive a moped in Austria, you do not need a driving license, but you need a moped license, which you can obtain when you are 15 years old. You are allowed to start the training two months before your 15th birthday.

The training involves both practical and theoretical tests, and if you pass, you are allowed to ride on the roads with your moped.

Moped cars

Moped cars, also known as light quadricycles, are lightweight four-wheeled vehicles that do not require a driving license to drive.

If you are 15 years old and have a moped license, you can “upgrade” your license by completing six practical hours and obtaining a license also for driving a moped car. Alternatively, you can obtain a license only for driving a moped car.

Mopeds have a maximum speed of 45 km per hour and can weigh up to 425 kg when empty.

Popular brands of moped cars are Aixam, Ligier, Microcar, and Chatenet.

When driving mopeds and moped cars, a blood alcohol limit of 0.1 per mille applies to those under 20 years old. For those older, the limit is 0.5 per mille, as applied to regular cars.

 
 
 
 
 
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Where can you drive mopeds and moped cars?

Mopeds and moped cars can be driven anywhere where a moped is allowed. They are generally permitted on roads where the speed limit does not go beyond 50 km per hour. They can also be used on bicycle paths if not explicitly prohibited.

Roads and motorways are off-limits for mopeds and moped cars, as they do not meet the minimum speed requirement of 60 km per hour for these types of roads.

READ ALSO: What are the rules for electric bikes in Austria?

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VIENNA

Vienna public transport chaos: Which routes will be closed during summer?

Austrian public transport companies are using the summer season to perform major maintenance and improvement work on some of the capital's main lines.

Published: 26 June 2024 11:06 CEST
Vienna public transport chaos: Which routes will be closed during summer?

It’s not a secret that the Austrian capital, Vienna, looks deserted during the summer holidays when most Viennese flock to greener pastures (or the coast).

But if you are staying in the city, you should know that these months when movement is low are usually when the public service shuts down for maintenance or improvement work, particularly in public transport.

This is an annual occurrence in many European capitals. Still, this year in Vienna, the significant work aimed at enhancing the network will result in considerable inconvenience for both commuters and visitors.

Here’s what’s happening and the alternatives the transport companies offer.

S-Bahn closure between Praterstern and Floridsdorf

The line between Praterstern and Floridsdorf will be closed from midnight on June 29th until 4 am on September 2nd. Work will be done at the Praterstern, Handelskai and Traisengasse stations. The work includes adding new control systems to enable closer train intervals and extending the platforms to use longer trains. 

The closure will last two months – and the same work will also be carried out in July and August 2025 and 2026.

A rail replacement service with 27 buses will be set up between Praterstern and Floridsdorf. As a rule, ÖBB Postbuses, labelled “Schienenersatzverkehr,” will be used. Austria’s ÖBB promises an interval of five minutes between them during the day. 

For commuters north of Vienna, the S-Bahn and REX trains depart from Floridsdorf – but with timetable changes and train cancellations. Trains on the S1 line towards Marchegg will be cancelled, and a rail replacement service with buses will be set up between Wien-Süßenbrunn and Gänserndorf.

And for the REX1 towards Břeclav, in addition to the departure from Floridsdorf, there will also be an alternate route – it will be diverted between Deutsch-Wagram and Vienna Central Station via Stadlau and Simmering.

U4 partial closure

Again, one of the main Vienna metro lines will be closed during the summer. The U4 will be split in two from June 29th to September 1st, when it will not run between Schwedenplatz and Schottenring—right in the city centre. 

This is the fourth time that that line has been partially shut down this year. The 100-year-old structure has been undergoing modernisation work for a decade, even if it hasn’t been as noticeable to commuters as it is now. 

Eunike de Wilde, the spokeswoman for Wiener Linien, told the newspaper Die Presse that tracks and tunnel ceilings were renewed, among other things. This year, 94 tunnel girders under Franz-Josefs-Kai will be renovated. 

According to de Wilde, this cannot be done during ongoing operations, so journeys between Schwedenplatz and Schottenring are impossible. As a replacement, tram lines 71 and U2Z will run to Schwedenplatz.

Summer tram restrictions

The trams in Vienna will also be affected by construction work over the summer. Lines 2, 26, and O will have restrictions due to work to build the new lines 12 and 27. 

From July 1st to 20th, Line 2 will not run between Am Tabor and Höchstädtplatz, travelling instead on the route of lines 5 and 33 as Wiener Linien prepares for the new line 12. 

From August 5th to 18th, no trains can run between Josef-Baumann-Gasse and Hausfeldstraße, affecting a section of line 26 as the company installs stops for the new line 27. Alternatively, bus 26E will run between Kagraner Platz and Hausfeldstraße.

Line O has a short service from August 5th to September 1st. This means that it will only run between Raxstraße-Rudolfshügelgasse and Praterstern.

The new line 12 will connect Josefstadt, Alsergrund, Brigittenau and Leopoldstadt. It is expected to run from Josefstädter Straße to Hillerstrasse from autumn 2025. Line 27 will connect the districts of Floridsdorf and Donaustadt. In future, it will run from Strebersdorf to the Aspern Nord U2 underground station. The work is due to be completed in autumn next year.

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