SINGAPORE: Active taxi drivers will
only need to pay half of the Taxi Driver's Vocational Licence
(TDVL) fees from January 2014.
When they renew their licences,
the drivers will undergo a shorter TDVL refresher
course.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) gave this update in response
to suggestions from the National Taxi Association (NTA) on taxi
availability.
LTA said it had fine-tuned the taxi availability (TA) standards
in the second year of its implementation to minimise empty cruising
of taxis during shoulder peak periods.
The TA requirement for the shoulder peak periods of 6am to 7am,
and 11pm to 12 midnight has been adjusted from 75 per cent to 60
per cent.
According to LTA, there is lower taxi demand and shorter waiting
times at taxi stands during the shoulder peak periods.
LTA is working with NTA and taxi companies on a mediation scheme
to provide a channel for taxi drivers to settle disputes amicably
with one another and with their taxi companies.
Since the TA standards were implemented on 1 January 2013, LTA
said more taxis have been on the roads in the first nine months of
the year, compared to the same period in 2012.
Last year, the total taxi fleet on the roads during peak periods
was 82.6 per cent. This year, it was 84.8 per cent.
LTA said it shares NTA's view that taxi companies should not
pass down financial penalties that they incur to taxi drivers, and
taxi companies should help and incentivise their drivers to achieve
the service and availability standards.
LTA stressed that although it will raise TA standards from 1
January 2014, the first-year TA standards will be used as the basis
for financial penalties in 2014.
This will allow taxi companies additional time to adjust to the
higher second-year TA standards.
LTA noted that most taxi companies are currently able to pass
the first-year standards, and so should not incur any TA
penalties.
On the suggestion to exclude certain taxis from the TA
computation, LTA said flexibility has already been exercised.
Taxi companies can apply to LTA for an exemption of niche or
premium taxi services from the TA computation.