Vendors who modify electric scooters into personal mobility aids (PMAs) by adding a third wheel and reducing the maximum speed of the device will be taken to task, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has warned.
Such "irresponsible vendors" can end up making the devices unsafe, the authority said in a Facebook post yesterday. Its statement came amid a flurry of online advertisements from vendors offering a way out for e-scooter users feeling the impact of a ban on using public footpaths.
PMAs, including wheelchairs, motorised wheelchairs and mobility scooters, are not affected by the ban, which began a week ago.
LTA said: "These are irresponsible vendors as such modifications will compromise the original device's electrical and mechanical systems as well as structural integrity, void its safety certifications, and importantly, pose safety risks to both the user and the public.
"LTA will not hesitate to take enforcement action against those who wilfully disregard stipulated criteria and those who conduct such irresponsible modifications."
The authority added that PMAs are typically used by the elderly or people with mobility challenges. The devices usually have three or more wheels, a footboard supported by the wheels, a seat for the user and a top speed of 10kmh.
Most PMAs comply with international standards for safety and performance, LTA added. Regulations regarding them are less stringent than for e-scooters. For example, they do not need to be registered with the authority and have no maximum weight or width restrictions.
Since the announcement a week ago of the ban on e-scooters on footpaths, food delivery riders, as some of the heaviest users of the devices, have turned up in droves at Meet-the-People Sessions to plead their case to MPs that the devices are necessary for their livelihoods.
Some 50 turned up at Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's ward in Ang Mo Kio GRC a week ago. About 300 - the largest turnout - showed up to speak to Senior Minister of State for Transport Lam Pin Min at his Sengkang West constituency on Tuesday.
But, disappointed with the outcomes, riders seem to have accepted that the authorities will not budge. Just two were present last night to meet MP Ang Hin Kee, who was standing in for PM Lee at his Teck Ghee ward.
A GrabFood rider, who wanted to be known only as Ms Lee, went to four Meet-the-People Sessions last week but has stopped doing so.
She said: "We were very disappointed, we talked so much but it was useless... They wanted us to hear them and not to hear us.
"I decided not to waste my energy and time, and I will just use the time to work now while I can."
Mr Ang, who is also the assistant director-general of the NTUC, said the union has been talking to affected riders to see how it can assist them. He added that NTUC will work with the Government to support the cost of re-training for those now contemplating a career switch.
He urged food delivery firms to do more to help workers, beyond their contributions to a $7 million grant to let them switch out from e-scooters.
Mr Ang said: "We are now in discussions with them about their business model, and how they can help riders tide over this period first... so I look forward to the (firms) announcing something to that effect."
