SINGAPORE - The discounted fee for a mandatory online theory test for riders of electric scooters and electric bikes will remain in place till the end of the year.
Riders were supposed to start paying $10 per test attempt after Sept 30, but the fee will now stay at $5 for three more months, until Dec 31. The $5 fee, which is subject to the 7 per cent goods and services tax, also covers one free re-attempt in case a rider fails the test.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said in a Facebook post on Wednesday (Sept 22) that it extended the discount after taking into account the Covid-19 situation and considering feedback from the National Delivery Champions Association (NDCA) representing freelance delivery riders.
"As demand for delivery services remains high, riders have told us that they would like to have more time to prepare for and pass the Active Mobility Mandatory Theory Test," said the agency.
"We are therefore extending the discounted test fee period to allow our riders to enjoy the savings."
Users of e-scooters and e-bikes, otherwise known as power-assisted bicycles (PABs), will have to pass the test by the end of this year in order to continue using the devices in public spaces.
E-bike users have 40 minutes to tackle 40 multiple-choice questions, while e-scooter riders have to answer 30 multiple-choice questions in 30 minutes.
The LTA said in response to queries that as at Monday, 19,966 riders had registered for the test.
About 94 per cent of the 16,625 riders who have taken the test so far have passed.
As at end-May, there were 31,660 registered e-bikes and 6,671 registered e-scooters in Singapore. Those caught riding without the theory test certificate from next year can be fined up to $2,000 and/or jailed for six months for the first offence.
Repeat offenders can be fined up to $5,000 and/or jailed for 12 months.
The Government introduced the test and other requirements following a spate of accidents involving mobility devices. One resulted in a cyclist dying after a collision with a speeding e-scooter rider whose device did not meet regulations.
Food delivery platform foodpanda said that more than a quarter of its e-bike riders have taken the theory test, and welcomed the move to extend the duration of the discounted test fee.
Meanwhile, Deliveroo said it is unable to share exact figures on the number of e-bike delivery riders who have already taken the theory test. The firm has a total of 9,000 food delivery riders in Singapore, which also includes motorcycle users and walkers.
Both platforms, which do not work with riders who use e-scooters, said they are looking into initiatives to encourage more riders to complete the tests earlier.
Mr Steven Lim, president of the Safe Cycling Task Force, said the take-up rate so far was encouraging, given that it meant that about half of the e-scooter and e-bike users in Singapore have registered for the test.
"I hope the remaining people who have not registered will do it soon... at least there will still be time to retake the test in case they do not pass the first time," he added.
