Mobility scooter retailers face new rule challenges

SINGAPORE – Selling a mobility scooter used to be as easy as selling a bicycle – buyers could pick out their vehicle, pay for it and leave the store within 10 minutes.

But since new rules kicked in on June 1, sellers of mobility scooters and other personal mobility aids (PMAs) have had to deal with more paperwork and a heavier administrative burden.

This is because sellers now have to verify a buyer’s medical eligibility to use a PMA, then transfer ownership to the buyer via the Land Transport Authority’s (LTA) OneMotoring website.

MOBOT general manager Chew Boon Hur said his firm is hiring one extra person just to answer customers’ questions about the new rules and manage ownership transfers.

Buyers have five days to accept this transfer using the Singpass app, and MOBOT also sends reminders so they will not miss this deadline, Chew said.

MOBOT has increased the price of each mobility aid – which used to cost between $1,300 and $4,600 – by $100. This accounts for registration and inspection fees amounting to around $65, as well as logistics and manpower to prepare and transport the vehicle, Chew added.

PMAs include vehicles such as mobility scooters and motorised wheelchairs. Under the new rules, the speed limit for PMAs on public paths is now 6kmh, down from 10kmh.

PMAs exceeding 120cm by 70cm by 150cm, or with a laden weight of more than 300kg, are banned from public paths unless an exemption has been given.

All mobility scooter users under 70 need a certificate to show they have legitimate medical needs.

Sellers also need to register mobility scooters before they can be displayed, advertised or sold.

Registration appointments were made available from early May, and retailers could book these starting from April 27.

But ELFIGO Mobility founder Warren Chew said he has had difficulty securing time slots to register and tag his PMAs at inspection centres.

He has registered about 30 mobility scooters so far, and plans to register another 40 in the week of June 8.

Time and money have also gone towards constructing brackets to attach an identification mark – effectively a PMA’s licence plate – for certain models.

And some buyers held back on purchases after being told that personal details, such as their NRIC number and date of birth, were needed for the ownership transfer, he added.

The new rules also mean that larger PMAs – which a third firm, DNR Wheels, sells for users with larger builds – are no longer permitted.

Jackson Teo, the firm’s sales and business development manager, said it is in the process of whitelisting these models with LTA so it can register and sell them to those with medical needs. It hopes to get approval in the second or third week of June, and is storing these mobility aids in the meantime.

More than 1,000 users have obtained their certificate of medical need to use a PMA, said LTA on May 29.

The assessment for this certificate typically costs around $17 to $144, with prices varying for different medical service providers.

Some social service agencies offer rates that are adjusted based on patients’ income levels.

A spokeswoman for healthcare services provider Minmed Group said completing LTA’s assessment form typically adds a few minutes of administrative time per consultation.

The impact on operations has been “manageable”, she added.

Principal occupational therapist at St Luke’s Hospital Nor Azilah added that there has been a “steady stream” of patients applying for the assessment and training to use a PMA, in the months leading up to June 1.

Likewise, charity for people with disabilities SPD has seen a consistent assessment load, averaging up to 20 cases each month.

Minister of State for Transport Baey Yam Keng said in Parliament that there is a growing need for PMAs to be used safely and responsibly as the population ages, hence able-bodied individuals need to be prevented from misusing mobility scooters.

LTA had previously announced that enforcement officers will request PMA users to present their particulars to verify their certification status.

Officers will focus on those who look able-bodied to weed out those who are misusing PMAs.

Users caught riding a mobility scooter on public paths without a certificate of medical need will face fines of up to $2,000, jail terms of up to six months, or both.

Offenders who exceed the reduced speed limit of 6kmh on their PMAs face a fine of up to $2,000, a jail term of up to six months, or both, with higher penalties for repeat offences.

The authority added that members of the public can report users and retailers who break the rules via https://go.gov.sg/report-am.

PMA users whom The Straits Times spoke to were largely worried that the lower speed limit might inconvenience their daily lives.

Janelle Yeo, a 63-year-old stroke survivor with paralysis on the right side of her body, is concerned that she will take a much longer time to travel to her workplace. The administrative executive is worried about needing to wake up earlier than her current 5am timing to catch the first MRT train.

A polio survivor with mobility challenges named Cheng said he has no plans to change his oversized PMA to a compliant one as he recently invested $1,600 on two new batteries for his current device.

He also voiced concerns about not being able to cross the road in time, or having his PMA roll backwards on slopes if he has to travel at a lower speed of 6kmh.

PMA users looking to turn in their non-compliant devices can do so by trading in their devices at selected retailers or disposing of them at e-waste recyclers, although fees might be imposed.

MOBOT offers a trade-in programme – in partnership with ALBA E-Waste waste collector – that gives customers up to $500 rebate for them to switch to a fully compliant PMA.

MOBOT’s Chew noted that since the launch of the programme in March 2026, it has collected close to 308 mobility scooters – although not all of them are non-compliant devices.

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