Knowledge base Road rules Updated 19 Oct 2026 9 min read

Personal mobility aids on Singapore's public paths

Where manual and motorised wheelchairs and mobility scooters may be used, and the current speed, size, medical and registration requirements.

PMA mobility-scooter wheelchair public-paths

Primary source: https://www.lta.gov.sg/content/ltagov/en/getting_around/active_mobility/rules_and_public_education/rules_and_code_of_conduct/personal_mobility_aids.html

Personal Mobility Aids (PMAs) include manual wheelchairs, motorised wheelchairs and mobility scooters. LTA describes them as devices designed to carry an individual who is unable to walk or has difficulty walking (LTA, Regulations for Personal Mobility Aids).

For these rules, LTA defines a mobility scooter as a motorised device with at least 3 wheels, one footboard, handlebar steering and only 1 seat behind the footboard. It must be designed to carry 1 person who is unable to walk or has difficulty walking; a multi-seat device is not treated as a mobility scooter (LTA, Regulations for Personal Mobility Aids).

Where PMAs may be used

LTA's device-use guide allows PMAs on footpaths, Pedestrian-Only Paths, cycling paths and shared paths. PMAs are not allowed on roads. PMA users are also excepted from the general instruction to dismount and push at a “No Riding” sign (LTA, Where Active Mobility Devices Are Allowed; LTA, Rules & Code of Conduct).

LTA's path-use guidance tells all active-mobility device riders to give way to pedestrians, slow down around others, and stop and look for traffic before crossing a road. Riders must not use a mobile communication device while riding (LTA, Rules & Code of Conduct).

Rules effective from 1 June 2026

All motorised PMAs must travel at no more than 6 km/h on paths. Existing motorised PMAs whose device speed limit is up to 10 km/h may continue to be used until the end of 2028, but users must still travel at no more than 6 km/h. From 1 January 2029, every PMA's device speed limit must be no more than 6 km/h (LTA, Regulations for Personal Mobility Aids).

PMA dimensions on public paths are limited to 70 cm wide, 120 cm long, and 150 cm high. Height is measured from the floor to whichever is higher: the top of the PMA or the user's head. The laden weight limit is 300 kg, including the user. Someone who needs a larger PMA must have that medical need certified by a healthcare professional. LTA directs mobility-scooter users to the AMS and users of oversized wheelchairs to a separate assessment form submitted to LTA. Seniors aged 70 and above need proof of medical need for an oversized device through the AMS or a doctor's memo. LTA says the oversized-device assessment does not apply to beneficiaries of SMF- or ATF-subsidised mobility scooters, and that oversized PMAs cannot be used on public transport (LTA, Regulations for Personal Mobility Aids).

From 1 June 2026, users of mobility scooters and their equivalents need a Certificate of Medical Need through the AMS to use them on public paths. LTA includes manual wheelchairs with detachable motorised attachments steered by handlebars as equivalents. LTA lists these groups as exempt from certification: seniors aged 70 and above; people who received a Seniors' Mobility and Enabling Fund (SMF) subsidised mobility scooter before 27 February 2026; existing and prospective Assistive Technology Fund beneficiaries of subsidised mobility scooters; past and future applicants of the following Ministry of Health disability schemes who have been assessed as having Activities of Daily Living needs in “Mobility” or “Transferring” — Pioneer Generation Disability Assistance Scheme, Home Caregiving Grant, Migrant Domestic Worker Levy Concession for Persons with Disabilities, CareShield Life, ElderFund, ElderShield, Interim Disability Assistance Programme for the Elderly (IDAPE), and MediSave Care; and people with physical disabilities known to the Ministry of Social and Family Development who have the same assessed needs. New SMF applicants from 27 February 2026 undergo the AMS as part of that application (LTA, Regulations for Personal Mobility Aids).

Getting a Certificate of Medical Need

LTA says mobility-scooter users can undergo the AMS from 27 February 2026. A Singapore-registered doctor or occupational therapist (OT) must conduct it. Users may approach their regular doctor or OT, or a GP on LTA's list of clinics offering the assessment. A follow-up OT assessment to check the user's ability to operate a mobility scooter may be required. Contact the clinic before visiting to confirm that it offers the AMS and to check its current fee (LTA, Regulations for Personal Mobility Aids).

Before the appointment, ask whether the healthcare professional can complete the digital assessment form and submit it to LTA. If not, print LTA's assessment form and bring it to the appointment. After the assessment, make sure the Certificate of Medical Need reaches LTA: the healthcare professional can submit the digital form, or the user can scan or photograph the completed hardcopy and submit it through LTA's FormSG submission link. Users can check their certification status on OneMotoring using their NRIC and date of birth; LTA says it can take up to one week for the status to appear. Once certified, the user may use the mobility scooter immediately (LTA, Regulations for Personal Mobility Aids).

Registration

LTA says mobility scooters and their equivalents used on public paths must all be registered by 1 January 2029. From 1 June 2026, retailers must register new devices and have them checked by LTA's Authorised Inspection Centres before sale. For existing devices, LTA plans to deploy roving registration stations at community touchpoints from mid-2027; LTA or its appointed vendor will check the device and user before registration. Existing users can submit LTA's interest form for registration of existing mobility scooters to be contacted when registration opens and receive information about available stations (LTA, Regulations for Personal Mobility Aids; OneMotoring, Active Mobility Devices).

Buying a new mobility scooter

Before a new mobility scooter is registered for sale, both its model and the retailer/business must be on LTA's whitelists. If a business imports or manufactures the scooter, LTA says it must have the relevant Health Sciences Authority medical-device dealer licence and ensure that the model is listed in HSA's Class A medical-device database. A retailer buying from an importer or manufacturer should check that the model is listed there (LTA, Active Mobility Rules for Retailers; LTA, Application for Registration of Mobility Scooters by Retailers/Businesses).

The retailer submits the registration application when arranging an appointment with an Authorised Inspection Centre (AIC). The AIC checks the scooter against LTA's device requirements, including the 6 km/h maximum device speed, and affixes its Registration Mark and Identification Mark. Before sale, the retailer checks through OneMotoring that the prospective owner has a Certificate of Medical Need or is exempt. The sale is complete only after the registered scooter's ownership is successfully transferred to the buyer (LTA, Active Mobility Rules for Retailers).

Coverage debt

LTA has not yet published the detailed requirements or steps for registering existing devices. It says roving stations are planned from mid-2027 and offers an interest form so existing users can be contacted when registration opens; the form does not provide the still-pending registration procedure (LTA, Regulations for Personal Mobility Aids).