SINGAPORE — Despite tightened regulations governing personal mobility devices (PMDs) and persistent calls to ban them because they are viewed as a public menace, demand for these vehicles has “generally remained steady”, several retailers told TODAY.

However, they did acknowledge that there were “dips” in sales earlier this year.

Mr Wilson Seng, president of the PMD Retailers Association of Singapore (Pras) which includes about 20 retailers, said: “In general, sales and demand for PMDs have remained steady, due to demand by delivery riders and those who seek alternative modes of transport.”

That being said, sales were “definitely affected when stricter rules” were put in place — such as the stipulation that all PMDs must adhere to the UL2272 fire safety standard.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) adopted the safety standard in September last year and mandated that all retailers must sell UL2272-certified models from July this year.

It then brought forward the deadline for all PMD users to comply with this standard from end-2020 to July 1 next year.  

Mr Seng said: “It caused some uncertainty and confusion because people were unsure whether or not the rules would again be changed. But after a while, when it became clearer and more UL2272 models began entering the market, sales went back up again.”

Mr Ifrey Lai, 49, managing director of Mobot which sells PMDs, also said that after the UL2272 announcement earlier this year, sales dropped by more than 50 per cent, but have since rebounded.

“Sales have been picking up since May… our August sales more than doubled that of figures in June and July.”

Mr Lai explained that “it took quite some time”, from three months to half a year, for some models to pass the fire safety certification test, so during that period, his shop was still selling non-UL2272-certified products and these were not popular. “Customers would seldom buy a product they can use for just slightly more than a year.”

The situation turned around once more models became certified. 

“This shows there is still a real pent-up demand for PMDs,” he added.

Likewise, another retailer, Synergy Scooters, saw sales dip by some 30 per cent over the last year, but numbers have inched up since last month.

Its founder Samuel Tan, 37, said: “I used to be able to sell 50 to 60 units a month two to three years ago, but when the regulations came up, business was pretty bad. I sold about fewer than 10 a month.”

Now, he moves about 20 units a month. “It’s nowhere near the initial peaks, but demand is coming back up a little.” 

Ms Vivian Yuan, owner of Mighty Velo, said that her sales figures have remained “constant”, due in part to her business model.

“We were one of the few companies that had UL2272 scooters from the get-go… so we were not affected and sales remained steady.”

UNPREDICTABLE MARKET

With growing public concern over the misuse of such motorised devices by irresponsible or ignorant riders and the threats to safety, several retailers acknowledged that these will continue to have some effect on business.

Mr Jay Jin, 30, founder of Kernel Scooter, said: “It’s always unpredictable as sales can be affected by public reactions to PMD, or whenever there is negative PMD news.”

For example, “people are afraid of buying e-scooters” when a petition to ban PMDs went around after 65-year-old cyclist Ong Bee Eng died of injuries following a collision with an e-scooter rider, Mr Jin noted.

“We are saddened by the unfortunate accident, but we believe the majority of PMD owners ride responsibly,” he said.

Mr Denis Koh, a member of the Government’s Active Mobility Advisory Panel, told TODAY that he has noticed some people who use PMDs are changing their minds recently.

Mr Koh, who runs a 27-000 strong PMD community called Big Wheel Scooters Singapore, said: “I observed that some members did say they (would) give up their PMDs. Some said there are ‘so many rules’, while others took the offer to dispose of their non-UL2272-compliant scooters properly to get the incentive.”

Ms Yuan of Mighty Velo agreed that the possibility of a total ban on PMDs being sounded has caused “confusion” over the use of such devices here.

“Not only our customers, but we as retailers are also concerned. I think because of the statement, many are in a limbo… waiting to see if they should buy a PMD,” she said.

LOOKING ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

Looking ahead, Mr Koh is confident that the proponents of this mode of transport will find their space and tensions will ease with time.

“It will still come to a point where people will understand and be more accustomed to the rules… many have really become accustomed to using PMDs. They are not just using it for their first and last mile (journey), some ride all the way to work, or use it for work, such as delivery riders, and the elderly use this to get around,” he said.

Mr Seng of Pras believes that the increased regulations have given some customers confidence to buy PMDs: “The recent announcement by several major retailers restricting the sale of PMDs to those under 16 also assures customers that moving forward, devices will be sold to responsible users.”

The retailers interviewed by TODAY said that teenagers do not make up a majority of their market. Their main clients are those in their mid-20s, they said. 

Mr Lai of Mobot said: “We have about 5 per cent of young customers. They usually come with their friends and for those who can’t afford, they come with their parents.”

Mr Jin of Kernel Scooter similarly said that youth make up only about 5 per cent of his customers. “They usually want to buy to ride it to school or nearby areas. Some also do part-time delivery jobs during the holidays.”