SINGAPORE - Owners of non-compliant motorised personal mobility devices (PMDs) have until the end of June to dispose of their devices, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Monday (March 30).

It is a three-month extension from the original end-March deadline.

From July 1 onwards, all motorised PMDs like e-scooters and hoverboards which are used on public paths must be certified to the UL2272 safety standard, which shows a device has undergone accredited electrical, mechanical and environmental testing.

Similarly, all non-UL2272 e-scooters, including those erroneously declared as UL2272-certified, will also be automatically deregistered on that date, and non-UL2272-certified PMDs will also be prohibited on cycling paths.

Owners of non-UL2272 devices can dispose of them for free at designated points set up at public housing estates or at LTA's Sin Ming office.

"E-waste recyclers appointed by LTA are trained and equipped to ensure the disposal of PMDs and the recycling of any reusable materials and components are carried out safely," LTA said, adding offenders could face fines if they are caught indiscriminately disposing of e-scooters.

A mandatory inspection regime for registered e-scooters will kick in from Wednesday and all e-scooters which were earlier registered and self-declared as UL2272-certified will also be scheduled for inspections.

Subsequently, all new e-scooters will have to pass inspections for UL2272 certification, as well as for width, weight and device speed before they can be registered with LTA.

Since July 1 last year, retailers have been prohibited from selling devices which are not compliant with the UL2272 standard.

According to data from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), there were 102 fires in 2019 involving PMDs, a large jump of 96.2 per cent from 52 cases in 2018 and part of an upward trend since 2015.

Fires involving power-assisted bicycles (PABs) alone, however, fell to 13 cases in 2019 from 22 cases in 2018.

In a statement, SCDF urged "members of the public, especially PMD owners, to be vigilant when handling their devices as fires involving PMDs and PABs can result in casualties and serious damage to property".