From 1 July 2017, all chauffeured private hire cars are required to display a pair of serialized tamper-evident decals^[1] on the front and back windscreens of their vehicles. Private hire car drivers must also display on their front windscreen in a prominent position which is visible to the passengers inside the vehicle, their Private Hire Car Driver‘s Vocational Licence (PDVL), or concession letter^[2] from the Land Transport Authority (LTA) authorising them to provide chauffeured services up till 30 June 2018. Commuters are advised to take only private hire cars that sport the decals and display the PDVL or concession letter.

Private Hire Car Decals

2   The decals will allow commuters to easily identify registered chauffeured private hire cars and facilitate ground enforcement against errant drivers, such as those who provide chauffeured services using unregistered vehicles. Unregistered vehicles, for example, may not be appropriately insured for carrying fare-paying passengers.

3   Private hire car owners can obtain and get their decals affixed at the following locations:

a.       VICOM/JIC inspection centres;
b.      STA inspection centres; or
c.       Uber and Grab affixing centres^[3].

4   Private hire car drivers who provide chauffeured services with a vehicle which does not display the decals will be committing an offence under the Road Traffic Act. Any tampering, including defacement, altering, covering or obscuring of the decals is also an offence under the Act. First time offenders may face a fine of up to $1,000, or a jail term not exceeding 3 months, or both, while repeat offenders may face a fine not exceeding $2,000 or a jail term not exceeding 6 months, or both. Offenders may also have their PDVL revoked^[4].

Private Hire Car Drivers’ Vocational Licence

5   Private hire car drivers must obtain and hold a valid PDVL before they can provide chauffeured services. However, during this transition period, private hire car drivers who have applied for the PDVL by Friday, 30 June 2017, will have up to 30 Jun 2018 to attend the PDVL course and obtain the PDVL. Those who apply on or after Saturday, 1 July 2017 will not be able to provide chauffeured services until they have obtained the PDVL. Private hire car drivers must display in their vehicle in a prominent position which is visible to the passengers inside the vehicle, their PDVL, or concession letter from LTA authorising them to provide chauffeured services up till 30 June 2018.

6   Drivers who provide chauffeured services without having either a PDVL or a concession letter will be guilty of an offence under the Road Traffic Act. Upon conviction, they may be liable to a fine not exceeding $500 or imprisonment of a term not exceeding 3 months or both. They may also be barred from holding a PDVL.

7   Like for applications for the Taxi Driver's Vocational Licence, LTA considers the nature of the offence when assessing the applications of ex-offenders for a PDVL. This is done out of concern for the safety of passengers. Those who have committed extremely serious offences, such as rape, murder or kidnapping are barred from obtaining a PDVL for life. Those who have committed less serious offences like housebreaking and cheating are barred for a few years from the date of conviction, after which their applications will be considered if they have reformed and have not gone back to criminal activities. Other offences which do not pose any danger to the physical safety of the public, such as forgery, do not attract any debarment.

8   This calibrated approach is adopted to strike a balance between giving ex-offenders an opportunity to pursue a career as a private hire car driver, and ensuring the safety of passengers.