As reported in Straits time on the potential changes to Rules and regulations for the point-to-point (P2P) regulatory framework for Private hire industry (PHV) is expected to be finalised in June.
It has long been observed that there is an uneven playing field between Taxi and PHV despite both are providing similar services. For example
Driver Requirement
Taxi drivers are required to be 30 years old to drive a taxi, this is to encourage young people to try out other career options before deciding to be a taxi driver. At this movement PHV Driver requirement is not expected to change.
Vehicle Lifespan
Taxi cars have a lifespan of 8 years while PHV cars do not have any limit for now.
Fleet Size Control
Before PHV enter the singapore market there is only 28K of Taxis on the road, as of now its estimated that there are 70K of PHV and Taxis on the road. Taxis operator has a limit to the size but PHV industry does not. This is not expected to change for the PHV industry
So what is expected from the rules change?
It is expected that the PHV industry to follow Accident and offence rates standard that is on par to the Taxis. This is to ensure safety for the passengers
Going forward PHV cars are required to undergo annual inspection and Car fleet owners is expected to have almost all pass on First instances. This Means PHV cars with less than acceptable appearances like damaged light, bad damage to the body, mismatched tyres or looks worn out will not be eligible.
It is expected that with this new rules change, stakeholders are more encouraged to fix their Car issues promptly.
