Recently, Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced that electric scooters (e-scooters) will be banned on public footpaths in Singapore from Tuesday (Nov 5, 2019) onwards. Offenders will face fines of up to S$2,000 and jail time of up to three months once the ban is implemented. The government intends to strictly enforce this new regulation from the year 2020.

In assessing news of the Singapore ban, Jin-Ni Gan, founder and CEO of Telepod, said: "The policy does not change our vision of cutting down traffic congestion and carbon emissions by accelerating micro electric vehicles (micro-EVs) adoption. About 60% of vehicle trips are less than 5 miles distance and cars are only occupied by 1 person 80% of the time. We need to rethink the way we plan cities, infrastructure and transportation."

Telepod, the e-scooter sharing solution that has been rolled out in seven markets around the world, wishes to reaffirm its commitment to mobility and making life easier and the environment cleaner through mobility.

Telepod shifted its business strategy to focus on providing mobility sharing solutions to enterprise clients earlier this summer after consultations and development with the market. Many of its new and existing clients include but are not limited to e-mobility sharing operators, delivery companies, resorts and theme parks from around the world.

“While it is true that this new policy has severe impacts on many e-scooter retailers, owners and deliverymen, it does not have a material impact on Telepod, given the new business model it has since August 2019.”

Ms. Gan added: “We are disheartened to hear that the government had to make this difficult decision. We understand that it’s the government’s attempt to reduce speeding and the hazards that this may create.”

“We respect this focus on ensuring the safety and stability for city and pedestrian traffic, but we are still deeply concerned about the impact this overnight ban may have on 100,000 scooter owners, retailers, scooter sharing operators, delivery companies and deliverymen's livelihoods.”

“It’s our long-term hope that the Singaporean government, and relevant ministries and authorities globally, can work with entrepreneurs and providers of these solutions to get to the root cause of the problems that affect the industry and that lead to dangers to pedestrians and road users.”

“As a company, we are committed to safety, protecting the environment, and helping humanity through mobility solutions, and we will continue on this path.”