The latest Land Transport and Related Matters Bill, tabled in Parliament on 12 January by Acting Minister for Transport Jeffrey Siow, is attempting to restore balance by addressing two increasingly visible pressure points in Singapore’s transport ecosystem.
These pressure points are personal mobility aids and road-use enforcement with the new ERP 2.0 OBU system.
Mobility scooters
Mobility scooters were always meant to serve a clear purpose: to help those with genuine medical needs get around independently. Over time, however, that line has blurred. Reports of able-bodied users, oversized devices, and scooters travelling at unsafe speeds have become harder to ignore, particularly on crowded footpaths.
Under the proposed changes, individuals will need to hold a valid certificate of medical need to use a mobility scooter on public paths. These PMA devices will also see their speed limit reduced from 10km/h to 6km/h.
To strengthen enforcement, mobility scooters will be required to be registered, starting with new devices sold, before existing users are given time to comply. The mid-2026 implementation timeline, pushed back from an earlier target of early 2025, is meant to give users and vendors adequate time to adjust.
Fire risk, addressed at the source
The Bill also closes a long-standing loophole around non-UL2272 e-scooters. While it is already illegal to use non-compliant e-scooters on public paths or roads, it has not been an offence simply to own one.
That will change.
Under the proposed amendments, keeping non-UL2272 e-scooters will become an offence, recognising the severe fire risks these devices pose, particularly in residential environments. UL2272 remains Singapore’s benchmark fire safety standard for electric personal mobility devices.
ERP 2.0: from enforcement to administration
On the motoring front, the Bill formally moves Singapore into the next phase of ERP 2.0. If passed, it will mandate the installation of the new on-board unit (OBU) in all Singapore-registered vehicles travelling on public roads.
According to the Ministry of Transport, more than 90 per cent of vehicles are already fitted, and the installation exercise is expected to be completed by end-2026.
More interesting, however, is the shift in how missed ERP charges will be handled. Missed payments will be decriminalised, reframed as an administrative matter rather than a traffic offence. Motorists will no longer face prosecution, but unpaid charges will block transactions with the Land Transport Authority (road tax renewal or vehicle transfers) until settled.
Heavy vehicles, heavier penalties
Elsewhere, the Bill turns its attention to lorry safety, mandating that all lorries with a maximum laden weight between 3,501kg and 12,000kg be fitted with speed limiters capped at 60km/h from 1 July next year.
First-time fines will increase from the current S$1,000 to up to S$10,000, with repeat offenders facing fines of up to S$20,000. The Ministry of Home Affairs has also proposed tighter accountability, requiring authorised agents to report tampering, holding owners and drivers liable, and banning unauthorised speed limiter services altogether.
Cracking down on vehicle offences
The Bill also strengthens deterrence across a range of vehicle-related offences.
Penalties for illegal vehicle alterations will increase and extend to those who permit such activities on their premises. Individuals may face fines of up to S$20,000 and/or two years’ imprisonment, while non-individual offenders face fines of up to S$40,000, doubled for repeat offences.
Similarly, penalties for keeping or using unregistered or deregistered vehicles will be raised, with jail terms of up to two years and fines of up to S$20,000.
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