With the abundance of taxis and private-hire vehicles here in Singapore, the government is now looking at ways on how regulate the industry based on the services it provides.
With laws being strictly enforced to ensure road safety, the government wants to make clear that all stakeholders are complying with the regulations set by the government based on how they operate or are categorized within an industry.
New Rules for Taxis, Private Hire Cars to be Implemented by LTA
The Land Transportation Authority (LTA) announced last Thursday (January 24) that it will impose tighter regulations on taxis as well as private-hire operators, as shared in a report by the Straits Times.
According to the announcement, the LTA is proposing to license all street-hail and ride-hail operators, as they, too, in essence, provide the same fundamental service of transporting commuters form point to point.
The has clearly a different complexion, legislation-wise, as compared back to when these service providers started to operate in the country six years ago. Back then, authorities viewed them as tech companies and not as transport providers, but with the proposed rule restructuring, all this will change, and these service providers will be made to comply with the appropriate industry regulations.
Furthermore the change will also cover companies which provide pre-booked chauffeured services, explained the LTA.
The new framework comes at a time when the government would like to develop ways on how to improve safety, but the LTA did not expound on this aspect as of yet.
On the commercial side of things, the new framework will provide drivers the freedom to drive ffor whomever they wish. Also, the framework will allow the LTA to prohibit all operators from having driver exclusivity arrangements.
At this time, the LTA is still in the process of evaluating the viability of the proposed framework and would like to seek public feedback regarding the matter. Residents may share their opinions and criticism on the proposed changes through this or by sending an email to the department on or before February 21.