Statute Details
- Title: Active Mobility (Dealing in Personal Mobility Devices and Mobility Vehicles) Regulations 2018
- Act Code: AMA2017-S243-2018
- Legislative Type: Subsidiary legislation (SL)
- Authorising Act: Active Mobility Act 2017
- Enacting Authority: Land Transport Authority of Singapore (with Minister for Transport’s approval)
- Commencement: 1 May 2018
- Current Version: Current version as at 26 Mar 2026 (with amendments listed in the legislation timeline)
- Key Provisions (from extract):
- Regulation 2: Definitions (including “mobility vehicle” and “premises/place”)
- Regulation 3: Prescribed number of warning notices per premises/place
- Regulation 4: Form, text, minimum dimensions, and technical printing requirements; offence and penalties for contravention
- Regulation 5: Manner/location of display; offence and penalties for contravention
- Schedules: First Schedule (warning notice text/form for personal mobility devices); Second Schedule (warning notice text/form for mobility vehicles)
What Is This Legislation About?
The Active Mobility (Dealing in Personal Mobility Devices and Mobility Vehicles) Regulations 2018 (“AM Regulations”) are subsidiary rules made under the Active Mobility Act 2017. In plain terms, they impose a mandatory retail-facing safety communication requirement: when businesses sell (or offer/expose for sale) personal mobility devices or mobility vehicles, they must display specific warning notices inside the relevant premises or place.
The Regulations are designed to ensure that consumers and other persons who are present at retail points are made aware of safety-related information before purchase. The core compliance mechanism is not a technical product standard or licensing regime; it is a notice-and-display regime. The law specifies (i) how many warning notices must be displayed, (ii) what the notices must say and look like, (iii) minimum size and printing quality, and (iv) where the notices must be conspicuously displayed (near the point of sale or point of payment).
Although the extract provided focuses on warning notices, the Regulations operate by reference to section 31 of the Active Mobility Act 2017. Practitioners should therefore read the AM Regulations together with the parent Act to understand the underlying duty to display warning notices and the enforcement framework. The Regulations then “fill in the details” required to make the Act workable for retailers.
What Are the Key Provisions?
1. Definitions and the scope of “premises/place” (Regulation 2)
The Regulations define “mobility vehicle” to include (a) a mobility scooter and (b) a motorised wheelchair. This matters because the warning notice requirements differ depending on whether the item is a “personal mobility device” or a “mobility vehicle”. The Regulations also define “premises” or “place” broadly as any premises or place where a person, in the course of business, is selling, or offering or exposing for sale, by retail, any personal mobility device or mobility vehicle.
From a compliance perspective, the definition captures both formal retail sales and “offer/expose for sale” activities. That means businesses cannot avoid the notice requirement simply because they are not actively completing sales at the moment; if products are being displayed for retail purchase, the duty is triggered.
2. Number of warning notices per premises/place (Regulation 3)
Regulation 3 prescribes the number of warning notices that must be displayed within each premises or place. The rule is straightforward: one warning notice for any personal mobility device and one warning notice for any mobility vehicle being sold (or offered/exposed for sale) by retail on the premises or place.
This is a key operational requirement. For example, a shop that sells both categories must display two notices—one corresponding to the personal mobility device schedule and one corresponding to the mobility vehicle schedule—within the same premises/place. Conversely, a shop selling only one category needs only the relevant single notice.
3. Form, text, minimum dimensions, and printing quality (Regulation 4)
Regulation 4 is the technical “specification” provision. It requires that the warning notice mentioned in section 31 of the Act must be ensured by the retailer to (a) be in the form and contain the text specified in the relevant schedule, (b) not be smaller than 29.7 cm × 42 cm, and (c) be printed indelibly in colour with a minimum resolution of 300 dpi.
Importantly, the Regulations distinguish between personal mobility devices and mobility vehicles by requiring different schedules: the First Schedule applies to personal mobility devices, while the Second Schedule applies to mobility vehicles. A practitioner advising a retailer should therefore confirm that the correct notice template is used for each product category.
Regulation 4 also includes an offence and penalty clause for contravention of paragraphs (1) or (1A). The penalties are tiered: for a first offence, the retailer is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $1,000 or imprisonment not exceeding 3 months or both; for a second or subsequent offence, the maximum increases to a fine not exceeding $2,000 or imprisonment not exceeding 6 months or both. While imprisonment is not commonly imposed for regulatory notice breaches, the availability of custodial penalties underscores the seriousness of compliance.
4. Manner and location of display; what counts as “point of sale” and “point of payment” (Regulation 5)
Regulation 5 requires that the warning notice be conspicuously displayed within the premises or place. The notice must be displayed either (a) at or near any point of sale or (b) at any point of payment.
The Regulations define “point of payment” as a cash register or counter at which payment for purchase is made, and define “point of sale” as a part of the premises where the personal mobility device or mobility vehicle is displayed for sale. This is a practical compliance detail: retailers should map their store layout to identify where the products are displayed and where payment occurs, and then ensure the notice is placed where customers can realistically see it.
Regulation 5(2) provides the offence and penalty for contravention of paragraph (1), with the same penalty structure as Regulation 4: first offence up to $1,000 or up to 3 months or both; second/subsequent offence up to $2,000 or up to 6 months or both.
Practical compliance note: The requirement is not merely to “have” a notice available; it must be conspicuously displayed in the specified locations. A retailer that places the notice in a back office, storage area, or otherwise non-visible location risks contravention even if the notice text and size are correct.
How Is This Legislation Structured?
The AM Regulations are structured as a short set of regulations plus schedules. The main components are:
(i) Regulation 1 (Citation and commencement) – sets the short title and commencement date (1 May 2018).
(ii) Regulation 2 (Definitions) – defines key terms used in the Regulations, including “mobility vehicle” and “premises/place”.
(iii) Regulation 3 (Number of warning notices) – prescribes the quantity of notices required per premises/place, distinguishing between personal mobility devices and mobility vehicles.
(iv) Regulation 4 (Form, text and minimum dimensions of warning notices) – specifies the required template/text (by schedule), minimum physical size, and printing quality; also sets out offences and penalties for contravention.
(v) Regulation 5 (Manner of display of warning notices) – specifies where and how the notices must be displayed; also sets out offences and penalties for contravention.
(vi) First Schedule and Second Schedule – contain the prescribed forms and text for the warning notices for each category.
Who Does This Legislation Apply To?
The Regulations apply to persons in the course of business who are selling, or offering or exposing for sale by retail, any personal mobility device or mobility vehicle on any premises or place. In practice, this primarily targets retailers and dealers who display such products for consumer purchase.
Because the definition of “premises/place” is tied to retail selling or exposing for sale, the duty is triggered by the act of retail display and offer—not necessarily by whether the retailer is a licensed dealer (the licensing question is governed by the Active Mobility Act and other subsidiary instruments, if any). The AM Regulations therefore focus on the retail environment and the consumer-facing warning notice requirement.
Why Is This Legislation Important?
For practitioners, the AM Regulations are important because they translate a statutory duty (section 31 of the Active Mobility Act 2017) into concrete, enforceable retail obligations. The Regulations reduce ambiguity by specifying exact notice content (via schedules), minimum size, and printing resolution. This makes compliance assessment more objective for enforcement officers and easier for retailers to implement.
From a risk management perspective, the notice requirements are relatively low-cost but high-visibility. A retailer that fails to display the correct notice, uses an incorrectly sized or low-quality print, or places the notice in a non-conspicuous location may face criminal liability. The presence of imprisonment as a possible penalty, even if unlikely, means that non-compliance should be treated as more than a mere administrative lapse.
In addition, the Regulations’ “one notice per category per premises/place” approach is a useful compliance benchmark for multi-category retailers. Businesses with multiple outlets should ensure each outlet/premises has the required notices displayed in the correct locations. For businesses with multiple points of sale or payment within a single premises, the “conspicuous display” requirement may require careful placement to ensure customers can see the notice at the relevant transaction points.
Related Legislation
- Active Mobility Act 2017 (Act 3 of 2017) – in particular section 31 (warning notices) and section 67(1) (making of regulations)
- Active Mobility Act 2017 (as consolidated/updated in the legislation database)
Source Documents
This article provides an overview of the Active Mobility (Dealing in Personal Mobility Devices and Mobility Vehicles) Regulations 2018 for legal research and educational purposes. It does not constitute legal advice. Readers should consult the official text for authoritative provisions.