Escooter Riders Quick Tips for Beginners - Part 1
UPDATE [6 Aug 2019]: The PMD safety certification deadline has been moved forward to July 2020. All non-UL2272 certified devices will be auto-deregistered and cannot be used in public after July 2020. Escooter riders can continue to ride only UL2272 certified PMDs beyond the July 2020 deadline.
Introduction to Singapore's escooter scene
The escooter is a wildly popular form of personal transport, especially amongst the tech-savvy and adventurous. It is the trusty counterpart of food delivery riders for Deliveroo, Foodpanda, etc cetera.
No matter young or old, the e-scooter has captured the hearts of many. In Singapore, throngs of people are hopping on the trend and riding electric scooters - whether out of necessity or as a source of fun.
While the interest in electric scooters has been growing, we realised that resources for beginner escooter riders in Singapore are far and few in between. There are many areas to address: from the hardware of the electric scooter to the myriad of laws that govern its use.
Thus, we have compiled a list of the things you should take note of when you decide to stop renting and finally invest in an escooter of your own:
Getting the most out of your escooter (Part 1)
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Before you do anything, read up on the rules and regulations surrounding escooters
If you reside in Singapore and have an escooter, you know that there are a couple of key regulations that guide your use of electric scooters.
You may even be baffled by these restrictions. However, there's a simple reason why the Land Transport Authority (LTA) put them in place: to protect everyone's safety.
Read on for a quick introduction to some of the most important escooter laws in Singapore:
1) Don't exceed a 25 km/h speed limit.
According to LTA's rules, you can't ride an escooter that goes faster than 25 km/h. This is because in the case that collisions happen, the injuries suffered by both parties (the rider and the pedestrian) will be greatly reduced.
Moreover, this doesn't mean that you can ride anywhere around town at a speed of 25 km/h. There are special circumstances. For example, all escooter riders have to keep to a speed limit of 10 km/h when riding on footpaths come early 2019. On the other hand, you can ride at 25 km/h without a problem on shared paths in the form of park connectors.
This difference exists because in Singapore, footpaths are way narrower in width than shared paths. Shared paths are able to accommodate more people side by side than the former. Hence, this reduced speed limit is in place to allow people to have more reaction time to avoid accidents from happening.
2) Escooters can't be ridden on the road.
Simply put, escooters just aren't built in the same way as cars or trucks. There is no outer shell protecting your vulnerable body in the event of accidents. Hence, this rule is put in place to safeguard the safety of electric scooter riders and prevent any fatal injuries.
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Take advantage of all the features on your escooter
If you've just gotten a Segway-Ninebot electric scooter, you're in luck. Despite its slender and minimalist appearance, the ES2 is packed with lots of unique features:
1) LED lights to guide you in the dark
For the night riders out there, the most useful function for you is the LED lights that comes with the ES2. A front white light is built into the electric scooter to increase rider's visibility while a rear red light alerts other commuters/vehicles to your presence.
2) Comes with its own dedicated app
The best thing about the Segway-Ninebot ES2 is that it has a unique Segway-Ninebot app that lets you control and customise all that you can with your electric scooter. Whether you want to limit the speed of your device while travelling, change your footboard floor light et cetera, the Segway-Ninebot app has got you covered.
3) Foldable in one smooth motion
Tired of scootering for the day? You can bring your escooter into the MRT or bus with this very handy feature. The ES2 can be folded into half in literally one second.
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Mandatory Electric Scooter Registration
All electric scooters in Singapore can be registered from 2 Jan 2019 onwards. You can choose to either visit your nearest SingPost or complete an online application at www.onemotoring.com.sg/escooter.
In fact, there's a $20 fee waiver for all riders who register their devices before 1 April 2019. After the deadline, you'll have to pay a $20 registration fee to process your application.
