Once again, we will be talking about the PMD footpath ban. Ever since the ban that was implemented on 5 November, many food delivery PMD riders expressed their disapproval and frustration over it.
Many of them relied on PMDs to do their deliveries because it was fast and convenient, but now that they were banned on footpaths and were not allowed on roads, they were afraid that it was going to affect their livelihood.
Grant Available
As a result of this, Land Transport Authority (LTA) came up with a $7 million grant scheme which allows these riders to trade-in their e-scooters and get up to $1,000 in total to switch to three other options – electric bicycles, bicycles and personal mobility aids (PMAs) like mobility scooters.
This was set up in November by the Government and the three major food delivery companies in Singapore, namely GrabFood, Foodpanda, and Deliveroo.
As of now, about 3,550 people have successfully applied for the grant. One-fifth of them have already switched to their new devices, while others are still waiting for theirs.
According to Minister of State for Transport Lam Pin Min, in order to help food delivery riders adapt to the changes, food delivery companies have “offered bicycle rentals to the riders who are waiting for their new devices”.
He also revealed that about 6,120 food delivery riders qualify for the grant because they have completed at least one delivery in the month before the ban was implemented. However, only 60% have done so.
The deadline to apply for the grant was on 31 December 2019 for Foodpanda and Deliveroo riders, but GrabFood riders still have up till 14 January 2020. This is likely because they have the most e-scooter riders delivering food for them.
Is The Switch Necessarily Safer?
Of course, while it is not uncommon that e-bike accidents still occur, there will be more measures to ensure that food delivery riders ride safely.
The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) has offered a safe riding programme to help riders to adapt to e-bikes.
As of 30 December 2019, 130 riders have completed the programme.
LTA is also collaborating with the Traffic Police to enhance the efforts to ensure that people are aware of the importance of exercising safety when riding a vehicle that can pose a threat to others.
According to Dr Lam, police have found 70 cases of non-compliant e-bikes since November 2019. This means that the bikes could have a lack of a safety certification or are over the 20kg weight limit.
If anyone is found with such devices, their devices will be confiscated and they will be liable for a fine up to $5,000 or jailed for up to three months, or both.
While it is true that e-bikes may be safer than PMDs in general, there is still a need to exercise precaution when using these devices.
