1. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) will be introducing regulations for private hire car drivers and vehicles to better protect commuter interests, in particular safety. This comes after a review of the chauffeured services industry, such as the services provided by UberX and GrabCar, and engagement with stakeholders such as commuters, taxi drivers, private hire car drivers, taxi companies, car rental companies and chauffeured services booking providers.
2. The new regulations are estimated to take effect by 1H2017. All drivers who wish to provide chauffeured services will be required to apply for and obtain a Private Hire Car Driver’s Vocational Licence (PDVL). Private hire cars used to provide chauffeured services will need to be registered with LTA, and drivers are required to display their PDVLs and a tamper-evident decal prominently.
Private Hire Car Driver’s Vocational Licence
3. PDVL applicants will be required to undergo relevant training and pass requisite tests on road and passenger safety, and the regulations for chauffeured services, amongst others. Background screening will be conducted on all applicants. The key features of the PDVL are as follow:
| Screening |
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| Eligibility Criteria |
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| Training |
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| Disciplinary Measures |
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Display of Private Hire Car Decal
4. All private hire cars used to provide chauffeured services will be required to be registered with LTA and display a tamper-evident1 decal. This will help assure commuters that the private hire car they are taking is indeed registered with LTA. It will also facilitate enforcement against unregistered cars providing chauffeured services, and private hire cars that engage in unpermitted activities such as picking up passengers via street-hail.
1 Decals will have a tamper-evident feature i.e. cannot be re-used once it has been removed, and the tampering will be evident.
