Store fined for displaying non-compliant PMDs for sale

A Paya Lebar retailer has been fined $750 for displaying personal mobility devices (PMDs) for sale which did not comply with Singapore laws.

It was the first prosecution under the Active Mobility Act (AMA) which took effect after the July 1 deadline for all PMDs to be certified by the Land Transport Authority (LTA).

Chew Tat Weng, the manager of Ning Pte, which operates as Orion@Paya Lebar, pleaded guilty to the charge of displaying three PMDs for public purchase.

Retailers face a maximum penalty of three months in jail or a $1000 fine if they are caught trying to sell PMDs which do not comply with certification, part of a range of restrictions on the devices following rising accidents and incidents of fires in Singapore.

According to Ng Jun Kai, a prosecution officer for the LTA, Ning Pte had posted advertisements online and produced flyers promoting the sale of PMDs at the company’s store at 160 Paya Lebar Road, which also sells sporting goods, bicycles and boats.

Chew told the court he had stopped selling PMDs in mid June and the ones spotted by LTA staff were leftover inventory.

However, Kai said the LTA had given retailers at least seven months grace after the laws took effect to remove non-compliant PMDs from sale. “Ning Pte Ltd had blatantly continued displaying non-compliant PMDs.”

Presiding, Judge Ho warned retailers not to flout the new laws.

“Retailers are now forewarned and this serves as a cautionary note,” said the judge, quoted by Channel News Asia. “Retailers … should clear all non-compliant devices from their premises. They should not think they will not be in trouble with the law if they are merely keeping old stock … Do not expect the courts to be lenient with them.”