Owners of older motorcycles to get up to $3,500 to deregister vehicles

Owners of motorcycles registered before July 1, 2003 are eligible for the incentive if their vehicles have a valid 10-year certificate of entitlement as of April 6 this year. PHOTO: ST FILE

SINGAPORE - To improve air quality, the National Environment Agency (NEA) is offering an incentive of up to $3,500 for owners of older and more pollutive motorcycles to deregister their vehicles over the next five years.

In a media release on Friday (April 6), NEA said all owners of motorcycles registered before July 1, 2003, are eligible for the incentive if their vehicles have a valid 10-year certificate of entitlement (COE) as of April 6 this year, and are deregistered on or before April 5, 2023.

About 27,000 motorcycles are eligible, said the agency.

The incentive scheme does not apply to owners of motorcycles on the five-year non-renewable COE, or the Classic, Vintage (Restricted), and Revised Vintage Vehicle Schemes as of April 6 this year.

Older motorcycles will also have to meet tighter in-use emission standards from April 6, 2023, and will no longer be allowed on the road from July 1, 2028, unless they are on the above schemes.

NEA said the incentive is made up of two components. The owner of an eligible motorcycle will get $2,000 if the vehicle is deregistered within the next five years. If the motorcycle's COE is not renewed on or after April 7 this year, the owner will receive an additional $1,500 upon its deregistration.

The owner will also get a rebate for the unused COE period, upon its deregistration.

NEA said these incentives were introduced to decrease the amount of carbon monoxide and ozone released into the air, as they are known to impair respiratory functions. Carbon monoxide is also known to be toxic in high concentrations.

PHOTO: NEA

While motorcycles make up just 15 per cent of vehicles in Singapore, they contribute to more than 53 per cent of carbon monoxide emissions from vehicles.

Older motorcycles registered before 2003, when stricter emission standards kicked in, make up around 20 per cent of the motorcycle population here but contribute to about 40 per cent of carbon monoxide emissions by all motorcycles, NEA said.

Owners of eligible motorcycles will receive a letter from NEA by the end of April. Owners can also log in to www.onemotoring.com.sg to check the first registration dates of their motorcycles.

Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.