Third-party taxi booking companies to be regulated by
the LTA
SINGAPORE - Third-party taxi booking services like GrabTaxi and
Uber will soon be regulated by the Land Transport Authority
(LTA).
In a statement on Friday morning, the LTA announced that it will
introduce a regulatory framework for these services to safeguard
commuter safety and interests.
Under the framework, third-party booking services will have to
comply with five conditions.
These are:
1. Registering with the LTA. Successful applicants will be
granted a certificate, which is valid for three years.
2. Dispatching only licensed taxis and drivers who have valid
taxi vocational licenses. This is to ensure that commuters are
served by taxis and taxi drivers who are operating legally in
Singapore.
3. Making clear all fare rates, surcharges, and fees payable
with commuters upfront. These include the flag-down fare, distance
and time rates and booking fees, as well as peak period and
location surcharges.
Alternatively, third-party booking service operators can provide
commuters with the option to set their user preferences to
automatically reject certain types of taxis, or taxis with certain
fare rates and surcharges.
Bidding and pre-trip tipping will not be allowed, to ensure that
taxi services remain equally accessible to all.
Booking fees also cannot exceed those charged by taxi
companies.
4. Not making it a requirement for consumers to specify their
destinations before they can make bookings.
"While the taxi industry has shared that knowing prospective
passengers' destinations can encourage drivers to accept bookings,
there are concerns that some taxi drivers may choose their
passengers and avoid taking bookings to certain destinations," the
LTA statement said.
5. Providing basic customer support services, including
lost-and-found services and avenues for feedback or complaints.
The LTA said that it consulted commuters, the National Taxi
Association, third-party taxi booking services, and taxi companies
over the past year before coming up with the framework.
The framework is expected to take effect in the second quarter
of next year
