Violations against Abuse Action Aids surged more than five times last year

Violations of abuse of action aids surged more than five times last year, with common violations including the use of non-compliant equipment and use where riding is not allowed. The Land Transport Authority stated that it will continue to take enforcement actions against users of violations and retailers selling non-compliant equipment.

Movement assist tools (PMA) include mobility scooters and motorised wheelchairs.

There are some equipment on the market that seems to be mobility aid tools (hereinafter referred to as driving) that are actually classified as personal transportation tools (PMDs) or electric scooters. The Land Transportation Administration posted on Facebook on Thursday (February 20) that violations involving such non-PMA equipment surged more than five times last year.

Data provided by the Land Transportation Bureau to Lianhe Zaobao showed that there were 38 such violations last year, significantly more than six in the previous year, including the use of non-compliant equipment and riding personal transportation tools on the sidewalk.

Last year, three driving users were caught by law enforcement officers for speeding, riding non-compliant equipment and speeding more than 10 kilometers per hour. No such violations were found the year before yesterday.

Further reading

Lu Transportation Bureau: Last year, a total of 132 cases of illegal use of personal transportation tools on the road

Users of mobile assisted scooters must have medical certificates around 2025

The cases of using driving on the road increased from 4 in 2023 to 12 last year.

The Lu Transportation Bureau reminds that equipment that seems to be driving aid usually has more than one seat, which is a personal transportation tool and is only allowed to be used in the bicycle lane and shared lane, and must obtain the UL2272 safety certification issued by the Lu Transportation Bureau and meet the equipment standards. Violators may face fines up to RMB 10,000 or imprisonment for up to 6 months.

The government earlier accepted the recommendation of the Active Commuter Advisory Group and would stipulate that users of electric action assisted scooters must have medical certificates. According to the post of the Lujiakou Bureau, this regulation will be implemented at the end of this year.

The authorities will also tighten the speed limit for driving, reducing it from 10 kilometers per hour to six kilometers per hour, which is equivalent to the speed of ordinary people walking (four to six kilometers per hour).

Next, retailers can only sell driving vehicles that meet the speed limit, and the government will give merchants enough time to adjust, clear out existing inventory, and import products that meet the new regulations.