Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on the Utilisation of Temporary Certificates of Entitlement (TCOEs) for Motorcycles Secured

Mr Saktiandi Supaat asked the Minister for Transport in view of the new historic high motorcycle COE price in late February 2022:

a.     what is the utilisation rate for temporary Certificates of Entitlement (TCOEs) for motorcycles secured after April 2021; and

b.     of which, what is the breakdown of the TCOEs which were utilised by engine capacity of

i.     200 cc and below 

ii.    201 cc to 400 cc and

iii.   above 400 cc.

Reply by Minister for Transport S Iswaran:

1.     The utilisation rate for motorcycle temporary Certificates of Entitlement (TCOEs) secured from May 2021 to September 2021, which have all expired by end March 2022, is over 99%. This reflects strong and sustained demand for motorcycles.

2.     The majority of motorcycles registered using these TCOEs are for the mass-market. Motorcycles with engine capacity of 200 cc and below account for about 70% of the registrations; those from 201 cc to 400 cc account for about 20%; and those above 400 cc account for about 10%.

3.     We understand the concerns over high motorcycle COE prices. LTA has been monitoring the market and recently introduced two changes to encourage more prudent bidding. First, the bid deposit for Category D COEs has been raised from $200 to $800. The bid deposit forms part of the overall price payable when the COE is used, and will only be forfeited if the TCOE is not used to register a motorcycle before it expires. Second, the validity period of Category D TCOEs have been shortened from six to three months. The shortened validity period will allow unutilised COEs to be returned to the total pool more quickly to meet demand.

4.     These changes have been implemented from the second bidding exercise in March 2022. LTA will continue to monitor the situation closely.