Monitoring of Shared Personal Mobility Devices Deployment
Ministry of TransportSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the Land Transport Authority’s (LTA) monitoring of shared personal mobility devices (PMDs) on private land and the detection of illegal deployments in public spaces. Er Dr Lee Bee Wah asked about the penalties for illegal deployment and whether operators must submit deployment plans for private premises to the LTA. Minister Khaw Boon Wan stated that while licensing is required for public operations, LTA proactively engages private operators and conducts patrols based on their plans and known hotspots. He highlighted that unlicensed operators risk fines of up to $10,000 and six months' imprisonment, while illegal devices will be impounded and contraventions noted for future licensing. Minister Khaw Boon Wan concluded that additional safety regulations are being considered to ensure all shared devices are used and parked responsibly across public and private land.
Transcript
7 Er Dr Lee Bee Wah asked the Minister for Transport (a) how will LTA monitor whether shared personal mobility devices (PMDs) that are deployed on private land end up entering public spaces and the effects arising thereof; (b) how will LTA detect the illegal deployment of shared PMDs for hire at public places and what are the penalties for this offence; and (c) whether shared-PMD companies are required to submit their plans for deploying their fleet at private premises to LTA.
Mr Khaw Boon Wan: Under the Parking Places Act, operators are required to obtain a licence to offer dockless PMD-sharing services that operate in a public place. This is to prevent indiscriminate parking of shared devices.
While the licensing regime does not cover PMD-sharing operators who deploy their devices solely on private land, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) engages these operators proactively to understand their deployment plans and advise them on our regulations. LTA's enforcement officers conduct regular patrols based on these plans and at known hotspots to detect illegal deployment.
Operators who operate illegally without a licence may be fined up to $10,000 and/or be imprisoned for up to six months. LTA will also impound shared PMDs that are illegally deployed, and take all contraventions into account if the operator decides to apply for a device-sharing licence.
All device-sharing operators, regardless of whether they operate on public or private land, must do their part to ensure users ride safely and park properly. We are also considering additional regulations to ensure that all shared devices are used safely, and will continue to monitor this space closely.