Personal mobility scooters to be restricted to those with a medical need or above age 70 from June

Come June, users of personal mobility scooters will face heightened regulations, including the need for a certificate of medical need and a reduction in their maximum speed on public paths, said Minister of State for Transport Baey Yam Keng in Parliament on Tuesday (Feb 3). 

"Many of us have heard from residents who feel increasingly unsafe as larger, faster devices weave through our paths under the guise of being mobility aids," Baey said. 

"We need to restore the original purpose of these devices to serve their intended users."

He was speaking during the Second Reading of the Land Transport and Related Matters Bill.  

Should the Bill be passed, Land Transport Authority (LTA) officers will conduct enforcement on public paths and request for users' particulars to check if they have a valid certificate of medical need to ride personal mobility scooters or if they are exempted from such certification. 

The certificate can be obtained from Feb 27 from doctors and occupational therapists, who can provide a hard copy to patients and submit it online to LTA. 

A list of doctors who can provide the service and their charges will be available on LTA's website from Wednesday (Feb 3). 

Those exempt from requiring a certificate of medical need include: Seniors aged 70 and over; beneficiaries of subsidised personal mobility aids (PMAs) from the Seniors' Mobility and Enabling Fund before Feb 27; existing and prospective beneficiaries of subsidised PMAs from the Assistive Technology Fund; and past and future applicants of the Ministry of Health's disability schemes who have been assessed to require assistance with daily living. 

Meanwhile, the speed limit for PMAs on public paths will be reduced to 6kmh, down from 10kmh. 

PMAs exceeding 300kg in laden weight will also be banned from public paths and public transport. Similarly, PMAs larger than 120cm in length, 70cm in width and 150cm in height will also not be allowed on public paths and on public transport. 

Registration of mobility scooters will also be mandatory, with all devices to be registered by 2029, Baey said. 

The registration will be done in two phases. From June, retailers can only advertise, display and sell registered mobility scooters. 

In the second phase, LTA will deploy roving stations at community touchpoints to facilitate device registration while an appointed vendor will conduct compliance checks on the device and user before registration. 

From Jan 1, 2029, using a non-registered mobility scooter on public paths will be prohibited, and doing so can result in a fine of up to $2,000 and up to three months' jail.

@asiaone Come June, users of personal mobility scooters will face heightened regulations, including the need for a certificate of medical need and a reduction in their maximum speed on public paths, said Minister of State for Transport Baey Yam Keng in Parliament on Tuesday (Feb 3). #sgnews #singapore #pma #mobilityaids #mobilityscooters ♬ original sound - AsiaOne

Combating PMD-related fires

While it is presently an offence to ride a non-UL2272 certified e-scooter but not to keep it, that is also set to change from June under the Bill.

UL2272 is a fire safety standard that tests for fire and electrical hazards in batteries and chargers. 

Individuals found keeping non-UL2272 certified e-scooters will have their devices seized, and can face fines of up to $2,000 and jail for up to three months, while non-individuals face a fine of up to $4,000. 

Non-compliant active mobility devices (AMDs) have been in the spotlight with 187 AMD-related fires between 2021 and 2025. 

In a written reply on Sept 22, 2025, to parliamentary questions from Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC MP Cai Yinzhou, Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said that 98 of these fires happened during charging of the devices. 

The Land Transport and Related Matters Bill covers proposed amendments to the Active Mobility Act 2017, the Small Motorised Vehicles (Safety) Act 2020, the Road Traffic Act 1961 and related Acts, and the Land Transport Authority of Singapore Act 1995. 

[[nid:728049]]

khooyihang@asiaone.com