The National Environment Agency (NEA) is offering an incentive of up to $3,500 for owners of older, more pollutive motorcycles to de-register their vehicles over the next five years, in a bid to reduce air pollution.
At a press briefing on Friday (6 April), NEA said that the owners of motorcycles registered before 1 July 2003 will be eligible for the two-part incentive if their vehicles have a valid 10-year Certificate of Entitlement (COE) as of 6 April 2018.
The vehicles must be de-registered on or before 5 April 2023, upon which owners will receive $2,000. If the motorcycle’s COE is not renewed on or after 7 April 2018, the owner will receive an additional $1,500 upon its de-registration, as well as a rebate for the unused COE period.
Some 27,000 motorcycles are eligible for this incentive. Owners of motorcycles which are on a five-year non-renewable COE, or the Classic, Vintage (Restricted), and Revised Vintage Vehicle Schemes as of 6 April this year are not eligible.
Owners will receive a letter from NEA by end-April informing them of the incentive if they are eligible. Motorcyclists may also log onto the onemotoring.com.sg website to check their vehicles’ first registration dates.
Separately, from 6 April 2023, the NEA will also be tightening in-use emission standards for motorcycles registered before 1 July 2003.
According to the agency, the motorcycles registered before 1 July 2003 make up around 20 per cent of Singapore’s motorcycle population but account for about 40 per cent of carbon monoxide emitted by motorcycles.
The older motorcycles will be banned from Singapore roads after 30 June 2028. Motorcycles from the Classic, Vintage (Restricted), and Revised Vintage Vehicle Schemes are exempted from the new emission standards.
The initiatives are in line with the Government’s efforts to tackle air pollution, which include other schemes such as the Euro VI emissions standards, the Vehicular Emissions Scheme and the Early Turnover Scheme for commercial vehicles. Singapore is still working towards meeting the air quality targets for these pollutants.
The two initiatives address motorcycles’ “large contribution” to air pollution, said NEA. While motorcycles make up 15 per cent of the local vehicles population, they contribute around 50 per cent of carbon monoxide from vehicles, it said.
Motorcycles also emit hydrocarbons, which are also precursors to ozone. Both carbon monoxide and ozone are known impair respiratory functions.
trade in for electic cycles
time to get a moped