Remember back in the day when taxi drivers had beef with Grab and Uber drivers, and would constantly harass both drivers and passengers alike? Ah, memories. These feuds will soon be a thing of the past as Malaysia and Singapore’s authorities are coming out with new rules and regulations for Grab and Uber drivers.
Source: Five Stars and a Moon
In Malaysia, the regulatory law is still expected to be undergoing a second reading in July, but in Singapore, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) will be enforcing the new rules and regulations come July 1.
The amendments were made to the Road Traffic Act (RTA) back in February but they will only take effect from July onwards. An important framework that was created is the Private Hire Car Driver’s Vocational Licence (PDVL), which is set to bring about some important changes that will make sure riders and drivers both have a safe and secure ride!
Source: Firstlane
Here’s what you need to know about the new PDVL!
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More stringent background checks will be done on PDVL applicants
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Applicants need to undergo various training and tests before getting their PDVLs
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It requires ALL private car drivers who want to provide chauffeured services to get a PDVL before they can ferry passengers
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All private hire cars used for these services needs to be registered with LTA
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PDVLs and the accompanying tamper-evident decal needs to be displayed prominently
These are some other details that the LTA has provided about PDVL.
Source: LTA
Of course, these rules and regulations aren’t meant to make life harder for the drivers, but they’re made to ensure that unauthorised cars are not able to provide chauffeured services or simply pick up passengers by the roadside.
Meanwhile, CNA reports that this move will not apply to car-pooling services as he explained that this was a different type of service, “Our regulations allow a driver to use a private vehicle to give rides to others travelling to the same destination or in the same direction, and for the driver to collect a small fee on a cost recovery basis but not for profit. This is different from a private hire car service where the intent is for the driver to provide a ride as a source of income. Hence we don’t intend to regulate car-pooling.”
Source: Straits Times
As with any law that is broken, there will be necessary punishments that will be meted out and this new regulatory law is no different. For each offence, operators can be fined up to a maximum of S$10,000 (approx. RM31,000) and if the drivers with an operator are found to be committing three or more major offences within one year, all the drivers along with the operator will be suspended. Three strikes and you’re out, taking the whole company with you!
It’s still early days, so let’s see how this new framework works out. Let’s hope Malaysia’s new laws will help keep all of us safe!
Also read: Malaysian Lady Robbed with Knife When Taking Uber Home from Mid Valley
