All e-scooter and electric bicycle users must take a mandatory theory test offered from June 30, 2021 before they are allowed to use their devices, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on April 30.
The test consist of multiple choice questions and will be available online.
LTA said it has already rolled out electronic guidebooks for the respective devices to help users learn how to operate their devices safely.
The guidebooks also provide info on the rules of conduct to observe when riding and how to do pre-ride checks on devices.
These guidebooks are freely available online.
Currently, they are available in English but vernacular versions will be available later.
Not much details yet
Further details on when and how riders can take the theory tests will be announced in due course.
These details will likely address issues such as ensuring the person taking the test is the person eventually riding the e-scooter or e-bicycle.
Illegal to ride on road if did not pass test
The implementation of a theory test for e-scooter riders was first announced in December 2019, a month after e-scooters were banned from Singapore’s footpaths on Nov. 5 that year.
Electric bicycle users are presently required by law to pass the theory test to ride on cycling paths.
But changes to the laws will only require riders to pass a single theory test for both path and road usage.
This requirement was put into law in April 2021 after the authorities proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Act for users of electric bicycles to pass a theory test before riding on the road.
The Ministry of Home Affairs said the amendments would also mean that it is illegal for individuals to ride their electric bicycles on the road if they have not passed the test, as well as for companies to employ anyone to ride such devices on the road if they have not passed the test yet.
The proposed penalty for either offence is a jail term of up to six months or a maximum fine of S$2,000, or both.
E-scooters can be used only on cycling paths.
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