SINGAPORE: Private hire drivers who are currently providing chauffeured services on an Approval-to-Drive (ATD) concession must obtain their Private Hire Car Driver’s Vocational Licence (PDVL) by Jun 30.
Those who fail to do so will not be able to provide chauffeured services after that date, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced in a news release on Friday (Jun 22).
AdvertisementAbout 42,900 private hire drivers who applied for the PDVL before Jul 1, 2017 were issued the ATD concession and given at least one year to obtain a PDVL. The ATD concession allows applicants to provide chauffeured services without a PDVL up to Jun 30, 2018.
Since the beginning of this year, LTA has been actively reminding private hire drivers, who have yet to obtain their PDVL, to attend the course and pass the test early.
To facilitate applications for PDVL training and testing slots, LTA said it appointed ComfortDelGro (CDG) Taxi as a new training provider, and the Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) as a new test centre, in December 2017.
This is on top of the existing training and test centre at the Singapore Taxi Academy (STA).
AdvertisementAdvertisementLTA said about 19,900 ATD concession holders have attended and passed the test so far.
“As at Jun 17, 2018, more than four in five of the remaining 23,000 ATD concession holders have not registered to sit for the test even once, despite reminders from the Land Transport Authority, Grab and the National Private Hire Vehicles Association, to do so," LTA said.
More than nine in ten of these ATD concession holders who have not attempted the test a single time, have also not attended the PDVL training."
ATD concession holders who have not obtained their PDVL, but wish to continue providing chauffeured services after Jun 30, will need to re-apply for the PDVL. A fee of S$40 is required for processing each vocational licence application.
ATD concession holders who have registered for their PDVL course and test before Jun 30, but have been scheduled for the tests in early July, need not re-apply. These drivers will be allowed to provide chauffeured services once they obtain the PDVL.
PDVL TRAINING AND TEST
To ensure commuter safety, PDVL holders are required to meet stringent safety standards. Since the implementation of the PDVL, LTA said around 70 per cent of applicants who took the test have passed.
“The provision of chauffeured service puts drivers in contact with a wide range of commuters every day. Hence, private hire and taxi drivers must be able to speak simple English to communicate effectively with all commuters – both Singaporeans and tourists.
"Drivers must also be able to read English, so that they can navigate roads and buildings, the names of which are primarily in English."
Drivers who require help with improving their command of English are encouraged to sign up for the Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) Workplace Literacy Program or an equivalent.
Applicants who need help in understanding the course and passing the test are also strongly encouraged to sign up for remedial classes.
Remedial classes are regularly conducted by the STA and CDG Taxi training centres.
LTA said that it also constantly reviews the course and test curriculum content to make sure that they are updated and relevant.
LTA added that drivers who no longer wish to provide chauffeured services or are unable to pass the PDVL test may approach e2i or Workforce Singapore for employment assistance.
“LTA will also work with Grab and training providers to help refer these drivers to e2i’s job fair on Jul 2 which will have driving, delivery, or logistics-related jobs,” the Authority said.
Drivers who provide chauffeured services without a valid vocational licence will be liable, upon conviction, to a fine of up to S$1,000 or a jail term of up to three months, or both.
Repeat offenders will be liable, upon conviction, to a fine of up to S$2,000 or a jail term of up to 6 months, or both.
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