Is this fair?
Very soon, more eyes will be placed on private-hire drivers to follow traffic laws.
The regulation of private-hire car drivers (PHC) has been a hot topic recently, and this has prompted new measures from Grab and Comfort DelGro to lay down the law.
In this year alone, PHC drivers have been imposed with several new regulations. In February, after amendments to the Road Traffic Act, all PHC drivers are now required to obtain a vocational license to operate.
Also, from July 1 onwards, the Land Transport Authority has instructed all PHC drivers to display a 14cm by 10cm plastic decal sticker for identification purposes.
This comes after a report had emerged of a PHC driver being warned for illegally parking at a taxi stand in December last year. Apparently, according to traffic laws, the only vehicle legally allowed to park at taxi stands are well, taxis.
With PHC drivers now outnumbering taxis, they are increasingly becoming an integral aspect of Singapore’s transport sector.
To ensure their compliance on the roads, companies like Comfort DelGro and Grab have thus rolled out measures to keep the drivers in line.
Grab: GET In Line!
Arguably one of the more assured responses has to be from Grab.
In fact, just yesterday (July 3), Grab announced a new Grab Enforcement Team (GET).
The GET initially caused a stir online when pictures of Grab-branded motorcycles emerged online outside their Singapore office at Midview City, which prompted rumours of Grab’s iconic GrabBike service rolling out in Singapore.
However, they turned out to be a part of the GET, which is made up of former law enforcement officers who will patrol Singaporean roads in motorbikes and cars to catch rule breaking Grab drivers.
Apart from ensuring that drivers follow the GrabCar driver’s code of conduct, they will also prevent infringements such as the failure to possess their vocational license or display their official decals.
They are definitely taking their disciplinary actions seriously, with offenders potentially facing the suspension of their license, a fine or even a jail term if they fail to comply.
With their high visibility – the Grab logo is emblazoned on their vehicles – it will definitely be interesting to see how the GET works out.
Comfort DelGro: Drive Car, Take Pictures And Tell
Interestingly, taxi companies like Comfort DelGro are in on it as well. With PHC drivers creating stiff competition for taxi operators, this makes a lot of sense.
They have taken a slightly unorthodox approach to enforcement, by encouraging the drivers themselves to report on any infringements made by PHC drivers.
In a text message sent out to all Comfort DelGro taxi operators last week, they were advised to Whatsapp a hotline number with a photo, accompanied with the vehicle number, date, time and place.
To add legitimacy to the process, the text message even warned drivers that they might be called up to court to provide evidence.
According to The Straits Times, a spokesman said that this move was spurred by complaints of PHC drivers parking illegally at taxi spots:
“We have been receiving numerous feedback from our drivers that they have been unable to stop at taxi stands because of private- hire cars, which have been illegally using that space. “Taxi stands are important pick-up points for our drivers and we will do our best to ensure that they are not misused.”
As a rule of thumb, both PHC drivers and taxis are prohibited from stopping at bus stops, zig-zag lines, areas in CBD where buses ply, and bus lanes.
So, keep that in mind the next time you use an Uber or Grab.
Uber Driving In Too?
While no official statement has been released from Uber, it seems that they too are exploring a similar direction.
A job posting for a “Law Enforcement Outreach Lead” by Uber was posted on LinkedIn 12 days ago as of writing (4 July).
Apart from possessing at least 7 years of law experience, the lead’s responsibilities included liaising with law enforcement to “ “promote the safety of all users” along with analyzing or investigating any “fraud, abuse” or “technical crimes”.
Naturally, these new, slightly restrictive measures will definitely unsettle PHC drivers, with so many eyeballs tracking their every move.
However, the private hire car business is still a relatively young one, and this could just be a sign of it evolving. Nonetheless, one can only hope that it will lead to less conflictual car transport environment.