Paul Ho
Uber and Grab hit by licensing for its drivers
The Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill was introduced in parliament on the 7th Feb 2017. This amendment gives LTA new powers to deal with Uber and Grab drivers and supposedly to “Safeguard commuter’s interest, in particular, safety.”
Paul Ho (iCompareLoan.com) Feb 2017.
What is the licensing rule about?
Table of Contents
- To require all private hire car (PHC) drivers to obtain a vocational icense.
- To display a tamper-evident decal on vehicles used to provide PHC services.
- To empower LTA to enforce rules on PHC booking service operators, such as Uber and Grab, to ensure that their drivers have the required vocational licenses and that the PHCs used are adequately insured. To fine Uber and Grab $10,000 for every offence.
- To empower LTA to issue suspension orders barring all PHC drivers from using a PHC booking service operator (such as Uber and Grab) that has had 3 or more instances of their drivers committing major offences within a rolling 12-month period.
- Drivers who drive for PHC booking service operator (such as Uber and Grab) during the PHC booking service operator suspension will also be an offence with a fine not exceeding $1,000 or imprisonment not exceeding three months or both, and vocational license may be suspended or revoked.
Uber/Grab Drivers – Opinion of the New Licensing Requirement
Are you happy about the licensing rules?
Do you feel happy if LTA has more powers to fine UBER and GRAB?
What will you do if Uber and Grab gets fined till they cease to exist?
Picture of Ho Jia Xin, A full Time Uber Grab Driver
iCompareLoan.com managed to speak to a Full Time Uber / Grab driver Ms Ho Jia Xin.
She feels that, “… actually having the new rules may cause many drivers to go out of job once again”
“It may also be beneficial for UG drivers because more trips cos lesser drivers once new rules is out.”
Jia Xin say, “Ultimately it is not about Taxi drivers versus Uber and Grab drivers. It is all about the taxi companies, or private hire companies charging reasonable fees and Uber and Grab to be reasonable in their commission, so that we, drivers can survive.”
Passengers – What do you think?
We do not really have an opinion, so what do you think? Please let us know.
Do you feel more “Safeguarded” by this new licensing rule?
Do you feel happy if LTA has more powers to fine UBER and GRAB?
Do you feel more safe that a private hire car (PHC) has a tamper proof decal?
Do you feel happy to be deprived of a viable choice if Uber and Grab gets fined until they give up on the market?
Taxi Drivers – Uber/Grab Drivers – What do you think?
Taxi drivers
Do you feel happy with this rule on Uber and grab drivers? Do you think that Uber and Grab will see its last days soon?
Do you feel that with this rule, the Taxi operators will have less incentive to cut rental rates?
In fact we spoke to some taxi drivers as well, they are really up to their necks with the $130+ a day rental. They really feel resentful but helpless with the taxi operators.
Safeguard Singapore Commuter’s Interest?
The question is, has there been major accidents or deaths? Has anyone been killed or murdered using such ride hailing applications?
What is/are such safety lapses or incidents on Uber, Grab compared to those on normal taxis such as Comfort, SMRT, Trans-cab, Citycab, Prime and Premier Taxis?
Tell me, which transport company does not have drivers involved in any major accidents? It is purely a number’s game, the more drivers you have, the more hours you drive, the more likely you will eventually have one major accident.
Can the government or LTA or traffic police publish the detailed statistics on it?
If no statistics is available, is this a pre-emptive policy? What guidance does it use for enacting this amendment? Is this warranted? Is the same policy applied to suspend taxi fleet operators?
In what way does it “Safeguard” commuter’s interest?
All of the current Private Hire Scheme drivers are required to have valid driving license. As a fact that we know, Uber and Grab also checks that any vehicle has a valid commercial insurance certification and paperwork prior to allowing anyone to start driving and using the application to start ride hailing.
So how is commuter interest compromised? By having a better ride, lesser booking time and competitive pricing and best of all, no booking fee compared to ordinary taxis and the ability to GrabShare and UberPool that helps reduce carbon footprint and reduce cost?
Will licensing of Drivers deny ex-offenders?
It seems that these days, everything also needs to apply for license. And business cost keeps increasing due to the myriad rules and regulations. And vocational licensing cost is slapped onto the private hire car drivers who are striving to make a living.
Some say, drivers with a criminal record will be denied a license, can we confirm this? What happened to yellow ribbon? What happened to giving ex-offenders who have served their time, a second chance?
Has Singapore Government’s tolerance of Uber and Grab finally run out?
What is the tolerance the Singapore government has towards ride hailing applications that affect an oligopoly of Taxi operators. Some taxi operators, who despite repeated calls from the taxi drivers to reduce rental continue to charge high rentals, some as high as $130+ a day, Mercedes goes for close to $200 a day. Mind you, that’s about $6,000 a month. Just 3 years of renting out to drivers and it will cover the entire cost of the Mercedes Benz.
Is this regulation in response to complains by the taxi operators to competition from Uber and Grab to level the playing field?
Have taxi operators thought of leveling the playing field by charging their taxi drivers less rental?
Uber and Grab to be Suspended or Fined till they leave the market place
Uber was fined till it left the Taiwan market in Feb 2017. Are we going to see Uber and Grab’s death by fines?
The imposed rules to suspend the Private Hire Car (PHC) booking service operator upon 3 major offences by its drivers within a rolling 12 months period is very stringent. And the fines for each offence is also very steep.
Is Uber and Grab going to die from a thousand knives (fines)?
Are we going to see another innovation die from over-regulation?
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REFERENCES
- Factsheet: second reading of the road traffic (Amendment) bill
https://www.lta.gov.sg/apps/news/page.aspx?c=2&id=cb1d0f2e-a254-45e2-acd7-bf96b843b017#1
