Grab has terminated its electric scooter sharing service GrabWheels across the NUS Kent Ridge campus as the ban of electric scooters from footpaths kicked in on Tuesday (Nov 5).
The nationwide ban was announced on Monday after a string of injuries from collisions with pedestrians related to electric scooters.
From Tuesday, these devices may only be used on cycling paths and park connector networks, and will continue to be banned from roads.
Those found riding electric scooters on footpaths can be fined up to S$2,000, jailed up to three months, or both, Senior Minister of State for Transport Lam Pin Min said.
“As NUS does not have the necessary infrastructure, GrabWheels has terminated its service across the university,” NUSSU wrote in a media statement on Tuesday.
“While this change might inconvenience some, we hope that students will feel safer commuting around campus. NUSSU EXCO calls for the relevant NUS offices to continue working with us through consistent cooperation and dialogue.”
GrabWheels and the University Campus Infrastructure will begin removing the GrabWheels parking stations and electric scooters across the university until the end of December, the union added.
NUSSU said it will continue to advocate for the development of campus infrastructure that can accommodate green transport options within the university campus.
The electric scooter sharing service was a popular option when it was first introduced in NUS in November last year. However, students have been avoiding the service after NUS and Grab introduced new safety regulations on campus in March.
Grab, which also runs a food-delivery service GrabFood, warned that customers may face delays in their orders or experience cancellations as a result of the ban.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) will also scrap its plans to offer electric scooter-sharing licenses which GrabWheels and other similar firms had been vying for.
LTA had previously delayed twice the handing out of licenses amid concerns over a string of electric scooter-related accidents.
In September, a 20-year-old rider was arrested after a collision that left a 65-year-old cyclist in a coma. She later died. Fire concerns were also raised after some e-scooters ignited while charging at home.