George Yang, Author at Goody Feed

Do you know why taxi uncles are called…taxi uncles? It’s because all of them are uncles, since only a Singaporean above 30 years old can apply to be one. Soon, we’d have private-hire car uncles as well, though you’d still see youngsters driving you to work tomorrow. Today, the Land Transport Authority announced something rather…interesting. Here are 10 facts about the new Private Hire Car Driver's Vocational Licence (PDVL) rules simplified for you. Old Private Hire Car Driver's Vocational Licence (PDVL) Lest you’re not aware, anyone driving a private-hire car needs to have a PDVL—without one, they can’t take any passengers. Before today, you’d just need to fulfil these criteria: Be A Singaporean Or Singapore Permanent Resident (SPR); Be at least 18 years old Hold A Valid Class 3/3A/3C/3CA Singapore Driving Licence for at least 2 years In other words, one can be a PHC driver at 20 years old. New Private Hire Car Driver's Vocational Licence (PDVL) As of now, the eligibility has changed: you’ve to be a Singaporean and be at least 30 years old. This means these are the new criteria: Be A Singaporean Be at least 30 years old Hold A Valid Class 3/3A/3C/3CA Singapore Driving Licence for at least 1 year But wait—what if you’re a 25-year-old who’s driving a private-hire car now? Does that mean you’ve just lost your job? Fret not. People Who Have the PDVL Before 15 September Won’t Be Affected If you’re a Singapore PR or a young dude, you can continue to be a private-hire car driver. In fact, even when you renew your PDVL (it needs to be renewed every three years), you can still renew it even though you don’t meet the new criteria. Now, if it’s not about the age or safety of the industry, then why the change? Aligning with Taxi Drivers’ Criteria One of the goals is to align with the taxi drivers’ criteria. LTA has had several rounds of consultations with industry stakeholders and associations to review the eligibility criteria for the PDVL, and given the growing similarities between taxi and PHC service, the new criteria kick in. But why now, when everyone’s looking for a new job, and being a private-hire car driver is one of the jobs available? Well, that’s precisely the reason. Keeping it Sustainable According to the LTA, despite Phase Two’s reopening, demand for taxis and PHCs, ridership remains significantly lower (around 70%) and trips are shorter, resulting in lower fares per trip, compared to pre-COVID levels. Needless to say, if more youngsters join the industry, there would be more competition which could lead to even lower earnings for the current drivers. So if youngsters aren’t allowed to join the industry, what should they do? Youngsters: Go for Traineeships or Placement Programmes Under the Jobs Growth Incentive The move is lobbied by the National Private Hire Vehicles Association (NPHVA) and the National Taxi Association (NTA), and they said, “We are grateful that our requests have been heard and responded to positively. “Raising the requirement will not only level the playing field for taxi drivers who have to adhere to a minimum age of 30 years old but will also encourage young drivers to gain outside work experience which will enlarge their skill sets and provide them with long term job prospects.” They’ve encouraged youngsters to go for Traineeships or Placement Programmes under the Jobs Growth Incentive instead. Not Much Changes Since Many Young Drivers Are Part-Time Drivers According to LTA, the “proportion of PHC drivers below 30 years old is small and PHC operators have shared that the majority of them are driving part-time.” In other words, it’s not like there are hordes of youngsters heading down to the Grab office every day to register as a PHC driver, so there shouldn’t be much impact. In the first half of this year, fewer than 30% of new PDVL holders are under 30 years old. In total, there are currently 7,500 PDVL holders who are under 30 years old. Grab’s & GoJek’s Responses The two biggest ride-hailing firms have since responded to the news. GoJek echoed what LTA has mentioned, saying that young drivers form a small portion of their drivers and most of them are part-time drivers. Grab said they’d be working with authorities to align its onboarding process with the revised eligibility criteria of the PDVL. More Help for the Industry The Government will also set aside an additional $112 million to extend the P2P Support Package to provide further support for the P2P sector. P2P sector refers to “Point-to-Point” transport sector, which comprises both private-hire cars and taxis. The P2P Support Package (PPSP) is a support package that was first introduced in February this year, whereby there would be a relief to vehicle rentals. In other words, if you’re a PHC or taxi driver and have been receiving a rental relief, this will continue until March 2021. On average, a driver can save about $300 monthly. Drivers Can Still Delivery Items Before March this year, PHC and taxi drivers can’t deliver food or items, but that was allowed temporarily since March. And now, this has been extended till end-September 2021. This is to allow the drivers to earn more because P2P ridership is unlikely to return to pre-COVID levels in the near term. Many employees are expected to continue with work-from-home arrangements, tourism activities remain muted and the current poor economic conditions means that more people will be tightening their belts and spending less. So if you’re a youngster, please go deliver food with a bicycle or find something else to do, because the older drivers need to feed their family.

George Yang

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