http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/parliament-uber-grabcar-drivers-to-have-vocational-licences-undergo-background
Parliament: Uber, GrabCar drivers to have
vocational licences; undergo background
checks.
SINGAPORE - Private chauffeur
drivers operating under apps such as Uber and Grab will be
regulated in Singapore, to safeguard commuters'
interest.
Like taxi drivers, they will
be subject to medical tests and background screenings, have to
attend a vocational licence course, and be put under a demerit
point system.
Private-hire cars used for
bookings under Uber and Grab will also have to be registered with
the Land Transport Authority (LTA), and the vehicles must display a
tamper-evident decal, so commuters and authorities can easily
identify them.
Announcing the measures in
Parliament on Tuesday (April 12), Senior Minister of State for
Transport Ng Chee Meng said: "With the growth of apps like Uber and
GrabCar, some basic regulations are needed to ensure that the
commuters' interests, particularly safety, are taken care
of."
"Today, an estimated 8,000 to
10,000 drivers provide chauffeured services during peak hours. This
has effectively increased the supply of point-to-point transport
services by about a third during these hours," Mr Ng said during
the debate on his ministry's budget.
The new rules, which follow a
six-month Government review on the private-hire car industry, are
expected to kick in by the first half of next year. Drivers can
make applications in June.
This will give existing Uber and GrabCar drivers here time to
take and pass the Private Hire Driver's Vocational Licence (PDVL)
course - a shorter, 10-hour programme compared to what taxi drivers
go through.
The course will cover topics
such as road and passenger safety, and regulations for chauffeured
services. There is no minimum age but applicants need to hold a
Class 3/3A driving licence for at least two years.
Both permanent residents and
work permit holders can also apply, provided that they are
employees of a chauffeur company. Singaporeans have the additional
option of being a sole-proprietor of their own limousine firm to
qualify.
The current taxi drivers vocational
license (TDVL) system will also be tweaked, which includes cutting
down the course time by more than half, from the current 60 hours
to 25 hours. Plans are also for part of the course
to be done via e-learning.
Mr Ng said the course will no
longer focus as much on memorising the street directory for route
planning - drivers will instead be taught to use GPS and online
navigational tools.
Cabbies who are active with no demerit
points will also be exempted from refresher courses, while there
are three- and five-hour programmes tailored for cabbies who need
more training.
Currently, the courses are six
or nine hours long, and must be attended every six years. The new
TDVL programme will take effect from next month.
Existing taxi drivers who want
to become PDVL holders can also easily do so by attending a
two-hour course, without the $40 application charge.
PDVL ===》》》Pa Ong Chia Driver Vocational
Licence
so fast change
thread title liao ar? No more Ah Meng ar?...but it's PDVL
hor.
