Land Transport Bill: Labour MPs flag risks to workers' livelihoods if not carefully implemented

Labour Members of Parliament (LMP) brought to light the challenges and concerns of workers on the proposed changes in the Land Transport Bill on 03 February 2026.

NTUC Assistant Secretaries-General Yeo Wan Ling and Melvin Yong, together with NTUC Director of the Stakeholder Management, Career Services and Partnership Group Wan Rizal, highlighted how the changes could affect platform workers’ livelihoods, transport efficiency and public safety.

They also gave their takes on how the Bill could be further improved.

Impact on delivery riders using PMAs

Income

While recognising that stricter regulations on Personal Mobility Aids (PMA) are intended to enhance safety for all footpath users, Ms Yeo underscored the importance of sensitive implementation.

“We must be careful not to unintentionally place additional hardship on persons with genuine, often permanent mobility impairments—many of whom rely on PMAs to undertake delivery work as their primary, and sometimes only, source of income,” she said.

Mr Rizal echoed Ms Yeo’s sentiment, saying: “PMAs are not merely a means of transport, but an essential enabler of independence and dignity. They allow individuals to move about their neighbourhoods with confidence, remain connected to their communities, and carry out daily activities independently.”

Ms Yeo elaborated that the lowering of PMA speed limits to 6 km/h would ultimately result in lengthier delivery times, which would translate to fewer delivery jobs and lower earnings—especially if incentives and working conditions are not adjusted to account for the longer delivery timings.

“For riders living close to the edge, even a modest drop in income can translate into real trade-offs—between food, utilities, or medical needs,” she said.

Since the introduction of the Bill, Ms Yeo said that the National Delivery Champions Association (NDCA) had already highlighted these challenges with its platform partners.

The association has since obtained commitments and in-principle agreements from its platform partners to review delivery targets and work arrangements for full-time PMA riders.

Mr Rizal called on the Government to implement the new regulations in a manner that does not place additional hardship on those with genuine needs, while Ms Yeo called for platform partners to review their delivery targets and work arrangements for full-time PMA riders.

She added: “I also urge the Government to work closely with platform operators to monitor post-implementation impacts, and to be prepared to offer targeted transitional support if hardship emerges.”

In his closing statement of the Bill on 4 February 2026, Minister of State for Transport Bae Yam Keng said the lowering of the speed limit to 6 km/h is ultimately to protect all pedestrian path users.

He stressed that only workers with mobility needs should use PMAs for their platform work, and that “such workers have to abide by the reduced speed limit and dimension limits for everyone’s safety.”

He went on to say that riders who are currently using PMAs but have no mobility issues have till 1 June 2026 to switch to the appropriate transportation device.

Mr Bae added that he was glad to hear the NDCA will be providing financial assistance to help riders comply with the changes in legislation.

Accessibility and affordability of PMAs

Although Ms Yeo believed that the Certificate of Medical Need was necessary to prevent abuse, she felt the criteria must not be sorigid that they exclude deserving users.

“Medical needs are not always binary. Mobility challenges exist on a spectrum. We should avoid overly narrow thresholds that unintentionally create new barriers for those who genuinely need PMAs for safe and independent mobility,” she said.

Both Ms Yeo and Mr Rizal also highlighted that medical certification can pose a high cost for lower-income riders.

While NDCA is already in discussion with affiliate GP partners to make medical assessments and certification more affordable and accessible, they called on the Government to consider additional support, such as allowing polyclinics to issue these medical certificates, to make costs affordable.

To obtain a Certificate of Medical Need, Mr Bae said that users under 70 need to obtain an Assessment for Mobility Scooter (AMS) from their regular doctor, occupational therapist (OT), or General Practitioner.

He shared that the ministry has already begun engaging the healthcare sector to encourage more private clinics to offer the assessment, adding that the ministry is aiming to keep the assessment cost low.

“We encourage users to go to their regular doctor or regular OT who already understands their medical history to streamline the assessment process. All doctors, including those at polyclinics, are allowed to conduct the AMS,” he said.

Mr Bae also noted that the AMS will be conducted at the medical professional’s own discretion.

Distance-based congestion pricing

With regard to the implementation of Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) 2.0, Mr Yong urgedcr the Ministry of Transport (MOT) to provide workers with a more definitive timeline for deployment.

Highlighting the concerns of workers who travel on Singapore’s roads extensively for work, he said: “I urge the Ministry to consider in its implementation the disproportionate impact that distance-based congestion pricing would have on these workers and their livelihoods.”

Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow responded on the 4 February 2026 sitting, saying that the ministry has no plans to implement distance-based charging immediately.

“I would like the transition to ERP 2.0 to be as smooth as possible. So it is best to let the situation stabilise and to have motorists get used to the new system before too many new parameters are introduced,” he said.

Worker safety on lorries

Even though Mr Yong supported the Bill, he felt it was a missed opportunity to strengthen the legislation and improve the safety of workers who travel on the back of lorries.

He gave a recent example of an accident involving a lorry ferrying 12 workers along Orchard Road on 28 January 2026. The accident resulted in all workers being sent to the hospital.

“Accidents like this remind us time and time again that more needs to be done to improve the safety of workers being transported at the back of lorries … When loads are not properly secured, workers face the risk of being struck or crushed during collisions or sudden braking,” he said.

Mr Yong said that proper transportation, like buses, ought to be used to transport workers to and from their worksites. For now, he felt that seat belts need to be mandated at the very least.

About the Land Transport Bill

Tabled on 12 January 2026, the Land Transport Bill proposes updates to Singapore’s transport laws to enhance safety, accountability and enforcement.

Key measures include tighter controls on personal mobility aids, such as  requiring PMA users to holde Certificates of Medical Need for ownership, mandatory device registration, and lower speed limits on public paths.

The Bill also mandates the installation of ERP 2.0 on-board units in all vehicles, while decriminalising missed ERP payments in favour of administrative penalties.

Heavy vehicle users will face stricter safety requirements, including compulsory speed limiters for certain lorries.

Additionally, penalties for illegal vehicle modifications and serious safety breaches will be increased, alongside measures to improve the efficiency of traffic enforcement efficienc.

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