In the wake of Amazon’s move to use taxis and freelance drivers to make deliveries for its newly-launched Prime Now service, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has clamped down on the matter, issuing a statement announcing that both cabbies and private-hire drivers are not allowed to carry goods without any passengers on board.
But the National Taxi Association (NTA) is calling for the government to consider otherwise, in the hopes that a trial allowing cabbies to deliver goods can be conducted. Members of Parliament (MPs) and taxi drivers also came forward to urge LTA to review its regulation, so as to make full use of existing vehicles, reported TODAY.
Some even claimed that the “archaic” rule isn’t in line with the government encouraging citizens to embrace disruptive technology and the gig economy, while others said drivers should be allowed to earn extra income.
Executive adviser of NTA, Ang Hin Kee, said that the association is working with taxi operators to suggest a “regulatory sandbox” for cabbies to deliver goods, so there would be opportunities to experiment before proposing any changes to existing regulations.
Ang, who is also an MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC, added that this would be in line with the government’s direction towards a “car-lite” society. Since there’s an “abundant” number of private-hire cars and cabs on the road, the issue of insufficient vehicles meeting commuter need would no be so “critical”, Ang told TODAY.
MP for West Coast GRC Patrick Tay supported the view, saying that laws should be constantly reviewed to keep up with disruptive technologies.
Private-hire drivers, who were not aware of the existing regulation, also told TODAY that the rules should not lag behind the times, and that they should be allowed to deliver goods.
