Changes are coming to private-hire car operators like Grab and Uber by the first half of this year. Under a law passed in Parliament yesterday, drivers need to have the proper vocational licenses and insurance, and they must display a decal identifying their car as a private-hire vehicle. This amendment to the Road Traffic Act will ensure drivers have the appropriate skills and knowledge to provide the service, according to Channel NewsAsia.
For each offence committed, operators can be fined up to $10,000. And if drivers break the rules three or more times in a one-year period, the Registrar of Vehicles can issue a general month-long suspension order to ban all drivers from working for that particular operator. For drivers who think they can get away with continuing to work for the operator during the suspension, they’ll be fined up to $2,000, imprisoned up to six months or both, depending on the offences. They could also lose their vocational licence.
According to The Straits Times, Second Minister for Transport Ng Chee Meng assured that these harsh penalties are a “last resort”, because a suspension for an operator also means that commuters won’t be able to use the service.
