The patrol sled was originally designed by Uulshos Manufacturing

Uulshos Manufacturing Organization Manufacturers

for use by scout troopers

Imperial Scout Trooper Organization Galactic Empire Military

and was very popular before the battle of Yavin

Battle of Yavin Event Galactic Civil War

- the image of a pair of stalwart troopers speeding to their duty on a patrol sled was a common sight in the media. Eventually, the sleds were replaced by the speeder bikes, but the Empire

Galactic Empire Organization Galaxy-Wide Organizations

kept a huge backorder of them as all purpose vehicles.
Ten years after the destruction of the Death Star

Death Star Starship Space Stations

by the Rebel Alliance

Rebel Alliance Organization Rebel Alliance

, with Imperial forces running dangerously short of weapons and vehicles, the Imperials were very careful in assigning troops. This was especially important on worlds with a sizable Rebel presence - often, seemingly minor incidents were used as Rebel feint maneuvers to lure out the Empire’s heavy vehicles and leave vulnerable sites unprotected. To counter this, patrol sleds have been brought back into service to allow a small number of troops to respond rapidly to the first hint of unrest, before an incident can explode into violence.
Like the bikes that replaced them, patrol sleds had very limited weaponry in favor of speed and stealth. However, unlike the bikes, they offered a considerable amount of protection from enemy fire. The patrol sled was intended as a rapid deployment, antipersonnel craft and recent upgrades have included a secondary repeating blaster

Laser Cannon Weapon Mounted weaponry and equipment

so multiple targets could be covered.