The Land Transport Authority (LTA) stated on Tuesday (16 October) that storage fees are not charged for non-compliant mobility devices that are seized and forfeited.
The announcement came days after a picture of an LTA letter to the owner of the e-scooter which was impounded went viral.
The picture was posted by Roads.Sg Facebook page on Monday, who wrote, “Getting your E-scooter confiscated is already frustrating but getting another bill of $1797.80 is just unbelievable.”
The lady got her scooter seized by LTA on 30 July while she was heading to work. According to the letter, it was confiscated because the item was over the allowable weight of 20 kg.
The lady received the letter around 2 months later, asking her to pay for $150 towing fee and $1647.80 storage fee for 77 days of storage from when the e-scooter was impounded. The total sum up to be $1797.80.
LTA also asked the lady to attend an interview on Monday to assist in the investigation, noting that should she fail to respond to the interview request and settle the necessary arrears, the e-scooter will be put up for disposal without further reference.
It also stated that legal proceedings would be taken against her to recover the outstanding towing and storage fees.
“Don’t you feel it is unfair to be punished twice for one wrongdoing?” Road.sg wrote.
Responding to Channel News Asia queries, LTA stated that it is aware of the letter being circulated.
However, it stressed that the storage fees are not charged for non-compliant devices that are forfeited.
Storage fees are only charged if owners of compliant devices that are impounded fail to collect their property after “a grace period” following investigations, without elaborating on how the grace period is determined and specifying the length of the grace period.
Therefore it stated that there is no need for the lady to pay for storage costs.
The authority stated that towing fees are charged when a device is seized to act as a deterrent and to recover expenses incurred by the LTA when carrying out its enforcement.
According to Chapter 276, Section 657 of the Road Traffic Act, the removal charge for motorcycles, bicycles, power-assisted bicycles or personal mobility devices is S$150, while the storage charge is S$21.40.
In this lady’s case, the $150 fee was waived in view of the e-scooter owner’s extenuating circumstances, without elaborating on what those circumstances were.
Under the Active Mobility Act, which took effect on 1 May, bicycles, power-assisted bicycles (PABs) and personal mobility devices (PMDs) cannot exceed 20kg in weight, 70cm in width, and 25kmh in speed, if motorised. PABs also need to fulfil other technical requirements.
Non-compliant devices can be seized and later forfeited, and those found to be using them on public paths can be fined up to $5,000, jailed for up to three months, or both. Repeat offenders face a fine of up to $10,000, up to six months in jail, or both.