Land Transport Authority (LTA) has announced that application for the Private Hire Car Driver’s Vocational Licence (PDVL) will open on 13 March 2017. Drivers who wish to provide private hire car services may download the application form from the Land Transport Authority’s (LTA)
The Authority stated that drivers who wish to provide private hire car services may download the application form from its website and should return the completed form to LTA by 30 June 2017.
This initiative comes a year after framework was first announced by the Ministry of Transport (MOT), which was caused by on-demand service providers like Grab and Uber.
LTA noted that applicants must hold a Class 3/3A driving licence which has been valid for a continuous period of at least two years at the point of applying for the PDVL.
It said that all applicants will be required to undergo a medical examination and will be subject to background checks, adding that all applicants need to pay a non-refundable $40 application fee.
However, LTA said that applicants who are not Singapore citizens, such as Singapore Permanent Residents and Foreign Work Pass holders, must be employees of a company providing chauffeured services in order to be eligible for the PDVL.
As for Singapore citizens, the current policy is that if they are not driving as employees, they need to be registered owners of a chauffeured services business will no longer be required.
“Singapore Citizens can apply for a PDVL as a self-employed driver,” it said.
Applicants will need to register for the 10-hour PDVL course with the Singapore Taxi Academy after LTA has received and processed their application.
LTA noted that private hire car drivers whose applications reach LTA by 30 June 2017 will have up to one year to attend and pass the PDVL course.
During this one-year transitional period, it noted that they can continue providing private hire car services.
However, applicants whose applications reach LTA after 30 June 2017 must obtain a PDVL before they can provide private hire car services.
LTA has appointed the Singapore Taxi Academy to conduct the PDVL course, noting that the course will equip applicants with knowledge of private hire car rules and regulations, service quality and safety, and will consist of self-study (2 hours) and classroom coaching (8 hours) components.
LTA stated that drivers employed by traditional chauffeured services companies may be exempted from the PDVL course if their companies’ in-house training programmes meet LTA’s requirements.
It also encourages companies that have yet to be engaged by LTA on this possibility to contact LTA for more information and an assessment of their training programmes.
Another thing is that TDVL holders who wish to drive a private hire car need not apply for a PDVL that existing TDVLs will allow their holders to drive both taxis and private hire cars.
The TDVL refresher course conducted by the Singapore Taxi Academy for existing TDVL holders will be expanded to cover private hire car rules and regulations. New TDVL applicants will be instructed on both taxi and private hire car rules and regulations during their TDVL course.
Besides having to obtain a PDVL, LTA stated that private hire car drivers will also be required to display a tamper-evident decal on the front and back windscreens of their private hire cars from 1 July 2017. This will facilitate enforcement against unregistered cars providing private hire car services, and private hire cars that commit offences such as picking up passengers via street-hail. More details on the tamper-evident decal will be shared in April 2017.
“This will facilitate enforcement against unregistered cars providing private hire car services, and private hire cars that commit offences such as picking up passengers via street-hail. More details on the tamper-evident decal will be shared in April 2017,” it said.
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