Image via Aizuddin Saad/Shutterstock

Senior Minister of State for Transport Dr Lam Pin Min announced in Parliament last week (4 November) that personal mobility devices (PMDs) will be banned from footpaths starting 5th November.
The move sparked outcry from PMD users, especially those who rely on the devices for their jobs as food delivery partners. According to the Ministry of Transport (MOT), there are an estimated 7,000 food delivery riders in Singapore who use PMDs, the majority of whom work with Grab.
As the ban was announced, the government also introduced a nationwide S$7 million programme to help food delivery riders trade-in their PMDs for alternative devices, offering a grant of up to S$1000 per person depending on the alternative device of their choosing. This e-scooter trade-in grant is one part of the Transition Assistance Package (TAP), explained MOT in a press release (8 Nov).
One of the first food delivery companies to announced details on the programme is Grab, which had warned its customers that there may be delays and increased cancellation in orders during this period as their riders switch to alternative modes of transport.
On their website, Grab announced that GrabFood delivery riders will qualify for a grant to trade in their electric scooters for an alternative mobility device if they have made at least one trip between 9 October and 7 November.
Those who have devices registered with the Land Transport Authority (LTA) as per the regulation and have completed at least 20 rides during that period will be able to receive the full grant value. Those who have completed less than 20 rides will first receive 80% of the grant, with the remaining 20% being disbursed after they have completed 20 rides within the first 20 days after they’ve submitted their claim.
Riders can apply for the grant on the Grab website, and the applications will be submitted to the LTA at the end of each day. Riders will be informed of their applications are successful after about two days. Once approved, riders can purchase a new mobility device – either an e-bike or a bicycle – before trading in their e-scooters and receiving the reimbursement within three days.
The scheme starts on Friday, 15 November.
Grab is also partnering with five companies to allow their riders to either rent bikes for free from Singapore’s largest bike-sharing operator SG Bike or purchase them at a discount from retailers like WarehouseSG, My Bike Shop, Hello Bicycle, and Cannasia.
For those who want to use a motorcycle instead, Grab is offering ‘preferred leasing rates’ with its partners, Pyro Leasing and GP Motoring.
In MOT’s statement, the other two components of the TAP is geared towards helping food delivery riders affected by the ban who no longer want to work in that line. First, assistance will be provided by NTUC under their Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) and Workforce Singapore (WSG) to provide career services and job search support to food delivery riders seeking a shift in careers.
The third component is the provision of temporary financial assistance by the Ministry of Social and Family Development and ComCare schemes for those who have been affected by the ban. Riders are advised to approach the nearest social service officer or PA Community Club for help.

Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
You May Also Like

No Queen’s Counsel for for PM-Ngerng defamation suit: High Court

The High Court today dismissed an application by blogger Roy Ngerng’s for a…

21 women’s and social sector groups come out in support of proposal to remove marital immunity for rape

21 women’s and social sector groups in Singapore released a statement today…

Latest data shows COVID-19 cases in New Zealand could have been higher if no lockdown was imposed

According to a new modelling released on Thursday (9 April), it was…

疑GPS故障走错地点 女私召车司机大雨中轰乘客下车

手机程序中的导航系统出现纰漏,乘客也告知送错地点了,但是女私召车司机却不顾外面下着倾盆大雨,强迫乘客下车。 署名本杰明的网民指出,上述事件发生于周二(10月22日)上午。 他于当天上午要从位于杨厝港路嘉城林的住家,前往工作地点,即位于巴耶利峇路155号的Lotus 诊所。 “当时约早上7时30分,我已经迟到了……天空下着大雨,所以我就在家预约了私召车Gojek服务。” 曾多次反映皆被无视 他对网络新闻网站《Stomp》指出,在路上,他发现有关女私召车司机没有照正确路线行驶,虽然尝试告诉女司机,但是她仍坚持跟着导航走。 本杰明表示他多次反映,但女司机最终竟要求他在比莱1号路下车,而该处距离其目的地仍有1.3公里。 “虽然我不断尝试说服她,说她到达了错误地点,但是她却威胁我说,若我不下车,她就报警。” 本杰明指出,他当时无奈地在大雨中下车,随后还要另外花费八元,预订Grab私召车服务,从比莱路前往诊所。 他表示,当他回顾此事,意识到或许是Gojek应用程序中的GPS出现了故障所致。“这是可以理解的,类似事件时有发生。” 惟,令他震惊和难以接受的是,许多私召车司机都缺乏基本常识,而且工作时过于依赖GPS。…