When the PMD ban on footpaths came into effect, three groups of people were devastated.
PMD retailers, those who provide PMD services, as well as food delivery riders.
To know more about the PMD ban, you can watch the sexy monologue by my colleague below:
Anyhow, the gloves have come off and it’s time to take the PMD footpath ban seriously. If you’re not doing so yet, that is.
Effective 1 Jan 2020, PMD riders who are caught riding on footpaths will no longer be let off with a verbal warning.
Instead, they face up to $2,000 fine or up to a 3-month stay at Aloha Changi.
Food Delivery Companies Taking Action
It’s no surprise that food delivery companies are now starting to take action.
Because if they don’t, they might be accused of incentivising PMD riders to break the law.
In mid-December 2018, Foodpanda has stopped all its food deliveries via PMD food delivery riders.
A spokesperson for Foodpanda revealed that all PMD riders who wished to continue with Foodpanda have switched to another mode of transport.
On 1 Jan 2020, Deliveroo also announced that they will stop working with PMD riders, effective immediately.
Previously in Nov 2019, Deliveroo said that they’ll stop working with PMD riders who are caught breaking the PMD footpath ban.
But now, they will not give any food orders to riders using PMD as their device of choice.
To continue working with Deliveroo, these riders have to confirm that they are switching their devices for other modes of transports.
And Now, Grab Has Responded
Here’s their response: they will continue working with PMD users.
But this comes with a condition.
Any PMD user be caught by LTA for breaking the footpath ban will be banned from the service for life.
A GrabFood spokesperson said about 65% of their riders who qualify for the e-scooter Trade-In Grant (eTG) has applied for it.
As for the remaining 35%, it’s assumed that they’re going to go at it with PMDs.
GrabFood Hit Hardest By Footpath Ban
Because if you’ve watched the video above, you’ll know that among the three food delivery services (GrabFood, Foodpanda and Deliveroo), GrabFood has the highest number of PMD food delivery riders.
Deliveroo said that less than 5% of their 6,000-strong delivery fleet uses PMDs.
Foodpanda’s ex-PMD riders make up about 12% of their fleet.
Meanwhile, GrabFood’s number stands at about 33% before the PMD footpath ban, eTG and all.
The number of errant e-scooter riders has dropped drastically since the zero-tolerance policy kicked in at the beginning of the year.
However, LTA enforcement officers managed to catch at least four errant riders at the Woodlands area on 1 Jan 2020.
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So if you’re a PMD user, maybe you might want to stop breaking the footpath ban, yeah?
Because this time, there’s no second chance liao.
