Statute Details
- Title: Shared Mobility Enterprises (Control and Licensing) (Land Transport Authority — Exemption) Order 2025
- Act Code: SMECLA2020-S260-2025
- Legislation Type: Subsidiary Legislation (SL)
- Authorising Act: Shared Mobility Enterprises (Control and Licensing) Act 2020
- Enacting Power: Section 47 of the Shared Mobility Enterprises (Control and Licensing) Act 2020
- Commencement: 9 April 2025
- SL Number: SL 260/2025
- Status: Current version as at 27 Mar 2026
- Key Provisions: Section 1 (Citation and commencement); Section 2 (Definition); Section 3 (Exemption for LTA)
What Is This Legislation About?
The Shared Mobility Enterprises (Control and Licensing) (Land Transport Authority — Exemption) Order 2025 (“the Order”) is a targeted exemption instrument made under the Shared Mobility Enterprises (Control and Licensing) Act 2020 (“the Act”). In plain terms, it carves out a specific situation in which the Land Transport Authority (LTA) may provide a service using certain mobility devices without being subject to particular licensing/control requirements that would otherwise apply to “shared mobility enterprises”.
The Order is not a general deregulation of shared mobility. Instead, it addresses a narrow operational model: LTA’s own hiring of docked motorised personal mobility devices and docked power-assisted bicycles for use by LTA employees or outworkers to perform employment duties or contracted outwork work. The exemption is therefore designed to facilitate LTA’s internal operational needs while preserving risk controls through insurance requirements.
At the centre of the Order is a legal mechanism: sections 8 and 9 of the Act “do not apply” to the LTA in relation to providing the specified service. The exemption is conditional, particularly on maintaining appropriate insurance coverage and ensuring that the insurer is lawfully licensed to carry on insurance business in Singapore.
What Are the Key Provisions?
Section 1: Citation and commencement provides the formal identity of the instrument and states that it comes into operation on 9 April 2025. For practitioners, this matters because the exemption’s legal effect begins on that date, and any reliance on the exemption should be assessed against the commencement date.
Section 2: Definition defines “motorised personal mobility device” as a personal mobility device other than one designed to be propelled by human power only. This definition is important because it determines the category of devices that can fall within the exemption. The Order also expressly references “power-assisted bicycles” and contemplates a combination of such vehicles.
Section 3: Exemption for LTA is the operative provision. Under section 3(1), subject to section 3(2), sections 8 and 9 of the Act do not apply to the LTA in relation to providing a service using motorised personal mobility devices or power-assisted bicycles (or a combination), where an LTA employee or outworker can:
- Hire a docked motorised personal mobility device or docked power-assisted bicycle to ride on wholly or partly in a public place; and
- End the hiring by docking the device or bicycle in or at LTA premises.
The exemption is explicitly tied to the purpose of performing employment duties, or work contracted to be performed under an outwork arrangement for the LTA. This indicates that the exemption is not intended for general public-facing shared mobility operations by LTA. Rather, it supports a controlled “employee/outworker mobility” model where the hiring and docking lifecycle is managed through LTA’s premises and systems.
Section 3(2): Conditions impose two key requirements that must be satisfied for the exemption to apply.
- Insurance policy in force at the time of use (section 3(2)(a)): There must be a policy of insurance in force at any time the device or bicycle is used. The insurance must cover liability for:
- Death or bodily injury sustained by any person other than the rider or any passenger; and
- Property damage suffered by any person other than the rider or any passenger.
- Insurer must be lawfully carrying on insurance business in Singapore (section 3(2)(b)): The risk under the insurance policy must be assumed by an insurer who, at the time the policy is issued, is lawfully carrying on an insurance business in Singapore.
These conditions reflect a policy choice: even where licensing/control provisions are exempted, the law preserves a baseline of financial responsibility for third-party harm and property damage. For legal advisers, the practical implication is that LTA (or any entity relying on the exemption) should maintain documentary evidence of the insurance policy, its scope, and the insurer’s lawful status at the relevant times.
How Is This Legislation Structured?
The Order is structured as a short, three-section instrument:
- Section 1 sets out the citation and commencement date.
- Section 2 provides a definition of “motorised personal mobility device”.
- Section 3 contains the exemption for the LTA, including both the scope of the exemption (what activities are covered) and the conditions (insurance and insurer eligibility).
Notably, the Order does not create new licensing categories or procedural steps. Instead, it operates by excluding the application of specified Act provisions (sections 8 and 9) to a defined set of circumstances involving LTA.
Who Does This Legislation Apply To?
The Order applies primarily to the Land Transport Authority (LTA). It is an exemption order: it determines when the Act’s licensing/control provisions do not apply to LTA in relation to providing a particular service.
However, the exemption is not open-ended. It is limited to situations where LTA employees or outworkers hire docked motorised personal mobility devices or docked power-assisted bicycles, ride on public places (wholly or partly), and then end the hiring by docking at or in LTA premises. The exemption therefore indirectly governs the operational arrangements that LTA may put in place with respect to these devices, including how docking is implemented and how the activity is linked to employment duties or outwork arrangements.
Why Is This Legislation Important?
This Order is important because it clarifies how the Act’s regulatory framework interacts with institutional use of shared mobility technology. Without such an exemption, LTA’s internal operational hiring model could potentially trigger the Act’s licensing/control requirements applicable to shared mobility enterprises. By specifying that sections 8 and 9 do not apply, the Order reduces compliance friction while still addressing safety and liability concerns through insurance conditions.
From a practitioner’s perspective, the key legal significance lies in the conditional nature of the exemption. The insurance requirement is not merely a best-practice statement; it is a statutory condition for the exemption to apply. This creates a compliance checklist: legal counsel should ensure that the insurance policy covers the required categories of third-party harm and property damage, is in force at the time of use, and is underwritten by a Singapore-lawful insurer.
Additionally, the Order’s focus on docked devices and docking at LTA premises suggests that the exemption is designed for a controlled lifecycle of device use. This may be relevant in disputes about whether a particular hiring arrangement falls within the exemption. For example, if devices are used outside the employment/outwork context, or if docking arrangements do not end at LTA premises, the exemption may not apply, potentially exposing LTA to the Act’s licensing/control regime.
Related Legislation
- Shared Mobility Enterprises (Control and Licensing) Act 2020 (authorising Act; in particular sections 8, 9, and 47)
- Shared Mobility Enterprises (Control and Licensing) (Land Transport Authority — Exemption) Order 2025 (SL 260/2025) — this instrument
Source Documents
This article provides an overview of the Shared Mobility Enterprises (Control and Licensing) (Land Transport Authority — Exemption) Order 2025 for legal research and educational purposes. It does not constitute legal advice. Readers should consult the official text for authoritative provisions.