The Land Transport Authority (LTA) thanks Mr Andrew Seow Chwee Guan for his letter (‘Why does fine for indiscriminate parking go to shared-bike firms?’; 29 September 2018, The Straits Times).
The aim of the licensing regime is to ensure that bicycle-sharing operators (BSOs) operate in a responsible manner, and make considerate and efficient use of limited public spaces. Users play a key role in this ecosystem and will thus be required to park shared bicycles within proper parking spaces from January 2019, using LTA’s island-wide Quick Response (QR) code parking system.
Users who do not park properly and scan the QR code will be charged an additional $5 fee. This fee is imposed and collected by the BSOs as a disincentive against indiscriminate parking, as LTA holds the BSOs responsible for ensuring their users park properly and putting in all necessary measures to achieve this. This is similar to the penalty schemes that operators such as SGBike have adopted. The additional fee also helps BSOs offset the cost of collecting and relocating the indiscriminately parked bicycles.
LTA will continue to review its regulations to nurture an environment where all active mobility devices, regardless of whether they are shared or individually owned, are used and parked safely and responsibly.
Andrew Cheah
Chief, Active Mobility
Land Transport Authority