BANNED - E-scooters to be banned from Singapore's footpaths starting Nov 5

[Windwaver]

Actually there has been plenty of warning signs except people in the industry choose to turn a blind eye thinking that such good money cannot possibility be more important than human lives.

That is simply a bad business decision if business owners don't read the market well (that include regulators).

 

[Beanoyip]

Think the PMD distros can try to export their goods to other countries or trade it in for e-bikes etc.. Since they mentioned e-bikes are in shortage for replacement

[Wormee]

10 hours ago, mikk123 said:

those e scooters are still riding through the HDB like nobody's business despite government's ban. hopeless.... law enforcement just wayang on first day of the ban and keeping quiet again. 

Agreed. Since the ban, for the past few days I've been seeing especially GrabFood delivery riders zooming thru the footpaths (not shared paths hor), filtering into the zebra crossings, crossed the junction traffic lights and continues their journey on the other side of the roads. Some still have neons lights on their PMDs, but I couldn't see if they were registered as it was dinner time. Totally hopeless. 

Come Punggol in the night and just stand at any bus stop. You can count the number of PMDs zooming around and they are more than your fingers. I have yet to see a law abiding one riding a PMD making a living as a livelihood feeding their family. Where are they riding? All still crowding at MPS at their respective constituency or already traded-in for $1000 already?

Duh...

Edited November 11, 2019 by Wormee

[Mustank]

https://mothership.sg/2019/11/pmd-riders-confront-ang-wei-neng/

😱

[Wormee]

7 hours ago, Windwaver said:

SINGAPORE – A $7-million package that has been rolled out will help food delivery riders with electric scooters switch to bicycles, electric bicycles or personal mobility aids, but e-scooter retailers are still left high and dry.

One such retailer told The Sunday Times he has $1.5 million worth of e-scooters that he suddenly cannot sell.

Another company has been hit so hard, it is closing its three sales outlets, while yet another retailer said he may have to retrench staff.

They told of their surprise at the ban on e-scooters being ridden on footpaths that was announced last Monday (Nov 4) and took effect the next day.

“This is all very sudden, we are in shock,” said Mr Ifrey Lai, managing director of retailer Mobot, one of the major e-scooter retailers here.

About 3,000 e-scooters, worth $1.5 million, now languish in Mobot’s warehouse in Ubi.

They have been paid for and cannot be returned to the manufacturer.

Overseas export options are limited and costly, retailers said.

The new $7 million trade-in scheme announced by the Government, which could see the likes of Grab and other delivery companies working with retailers to purchase e-bikes or power-assisted bicycles (PABs) and other alternatives, is also unlikely to help, they said.

This is especially so as the scheme will last only until the end of the year, giving retailers little time to react.

Mr Lai said stringent regulatory checks required for the devices, in which retailers have to send individual e-bikes for inspection, and the lack of demand for them relative to e-scooters, had meant that retailers have not stockpiled such devices.

The general manager of Kernel Scooter, Mr Jay Jin, said: “The main reason why retailers are suffering is due to existing inventories and money invested in getting devices the UL2272 certification.

“With most of our money stuck in our inventories and spent on UL2272, many of the retailers can go bankrupt very soon,” he lamented.

Many had gone out to stockpile e-scooters that meet the UL2272 safety standard, confident that demand would surge.

This was after the authorities announced that only certified e-scooters that are registered can be used in Singapore from July 1 next year.

There are about 100,000 registered e-scooters in Singapore and the majority are not UL2272 certified.

The certified devices are preferred because they pose a much lower risk of fire, but they are also more expensive to make, which makes them less attractive in many markets.

Mobot’s Mr Lai said around 20 to 30 customers brought their e-scooters back in the last week, trying to ask for refunds.

“It is unlikely that demand will rise in the near future. It may rise only three to five years later when the (cycling network) infrastructure grows” he said.

A retailer, who wanted to be known only as Dannis, 45, said he plans to shut down all three of his e-scooter shops as the business is no longer viable.

He expects to lose around $100,000.

Mr Jin said Kernel Scooter, which has about 400 e-scooters in its inventory, had zero sales last week.

“The announcement caught us off-guard, and it comes right before the Singles’ Days sales (Nov 11) for which we had brought in so many extra e-scooters.”

Mr Wilson Seng, president of the PMD Retailers Association of Singapore, said: “There was no consultation and no warning given to us (by the LTA).

“This week has been a nightmare.”

 

It is just business risk and there is no such thing as bao earn money without loss lor.

Think in the olden days where bubble tea was in a craze. Every Tom, Dick and Harry just simply buy a machine, employ a ah lian and open a stall at every single corner of a housing estate and sells them. Why? To make quick money. My own uncle also borrowed money from my mom and the rest of the siblings to open a stall. Soon enough, there are such stalls everywhere and business died down. Failed big time. My mom did not get her money back. 

People who saw this e-scooter business opportunity when it was craze and started importing for sale, exploiting the lack of enforcement by LTA and started this business. Pour in money and resources at their own risk. Now because of this ban (not total hor), their sales dropped. They blame the government for the ban. Did they praise the government or thank the buyer (especially the food delivery companies) when their sales boosts so high till they earn big money? Did they touch their heart whereby the machines they sold had injured and kill people? 

Your thoughts?

[Playtime]

9 minutes ago, Mustank said:

https://mothership.sg/2019/11/pmd-riders-confront-ang-wei-neng/

😱

natural aristocrats suddenly all quiet....

[Wormee]

18 minutes ago, Mustank said:

https://mothership.sg/2019/11/pmd-riders-confront-ang-wei-neng/

😱

See already shakehead man. Livelihood and their own lives taken my a**. Behaving like hooligans now challenging the government. As if no e-scooter they can die. Brain so straight cannot think of alternatives. Got hands and legs also useless. 

Those who are in favour of the ban should stop ordering from food deliveries, get your fat a** off the couch and walk down to buy your own food. So, only left those YPs and food delivery riders themselves who are probably not in favour of the ban. YPs will ride their PMDs to buy food, and the delivery riders ownself order ownself deliver? They will be out of job soon. Problem solved. Government also can save the 7mil man. Our tax payers money you know. 😏

Edited November 12, 2019 by Wormee

[RadX]

26 minutes ago, Wormee said:

See already shakehead man. Livelihood and their own lives taken my a**. Behaving like hooligans now challenging the government. As if no e-scooter they can die. Brain so straight cannot think of alternatives. Got hands and legs also useless. 

Those who are in favour of the ban should stop ordering from food deliveries, get your fat a** off the couch and walk down to buy your own food. So, only left those YPs and food delivery riders themselves who are probably not in favour of the ban. YPs will ride their PMDs to buy food, and the delivery riders ownself order ownself deliver? They will be out of job soon. Problem solved. Government also can save the 7mil man. Our tax payers money you know. 😏

totally agree

 

this is getting ridiculous...

[Fcw75]

Good! Make more people dulan with PAP.

But I want to ask the uncle first....who he voted for? Hahaha

[yishunite]

Lol cant please everyone sure...

But make everyone previously fighting each other to be unhappy with u takes skillz 🤣

[Mockngbrd]

Pap wan shui can do no wrong!!! 

[Philipkee]

I said  before.  Temporary ban should have been instituted.  

Something like SAF timeout.

During this time, yea there may be a commotion cos people lose livelihoods but you can throw the problem of enforcement back to them AND people will be more receptive cos the ban is temporary.  If no one wants to feedback, the temporary ban can become permanent and you can justify it better cos no one wants to feedback.

And whatever measures suggested you can take up (anything wrong blame the community). Some suggestions CANNOT be taken up but at least you gave the impression you listened (if you were not listening).

My two cents.  

[Vratenza]

3 hours ago, Mustank said:

https://mothership.sg/2019/11/pmd-riders-confront-ang-wei-neng/

😱

Can see the entitled mentality of the PMD riders..... Demanding for $7mil to be given to them directly and immediately. 

In the first place, I don't agree with the $7mil cop out by the govt to fix a mess they created. 

Secondly, as a Tax payer, I am anguished by the wanton misue of the tax dollars. 

Thirdly, the govt tried to disguise and lessen impact of the handout by declaring half the amt comes from the food delivery companies. And we know who is a big share holder in Grab with the biggest representation of their delivery guys using PMDs. 

[Mockngbrd]

no e-scooter = communist 

[RadX]

[Mustank]

[Ash2017]

On 11/10/2019 at 1:13 PM, Ody_2004 said:

I believe some are modified with throttle. When PMD started seem harmless till those modified on the road.

Alot don know their tiny brake will not allow them to stop in time. Speeding is easy.. it is the stopping or failed to stop that kill.

I wondered how you feel about those who goes up north to speed in their car despite knowing that they are breaking the law. 

If we condone those who goes to neighboring countries to speed illegally, why we cant allow these PMD to illegally speed on our local roads. Why do we view them so harshly.

 

Do we have double standards?

 

[inlinesix]

1 hour ago, Vratenza said:

Can see the entitled mentality of the PMD riders..... Demanding for $7mil to be given to them directly and immediately. 

In the first place, I don't agree with the $7mil cop out by the govt to fix a mess they created. 

Secondly, as a Tax payer, I am anguished by the wanton misue of the tax dollars. 

Thirdly, the govt tried to disguise and lessen impact of the handout by declaring half the amt comes from the food delivery companies. And we know who is a big share holder in Grab with the biggest representation of their delivery guys using PMDs. 

If they don't have entitled mentality, they might be doing something great now.