Thousands of years ago—okay, it’s just a few years ago—there have been uproar from the public on the safety of passengers who took private hire cars. People were not happy about everything: from the way the driver drove to the way the driver spoke.

But primarily, people were concerned that these drivers, who did not have any special vocational licence except their driving licence, were driving strangers around.

And that’s not to mention the influx of numerous overseas reports on how these drivers have, erm, done things that were really bad to the passengers.

The authorities stepped in, and from 1 July 2017 onwards, drivers would need to have applied for the Private Hire Car Driver’s Vocational Licence (PDVL), and to go through a course within a year.

And here’s the thing: not every application will be approved. In fact, it seems that not every Tom, Dick or Harry can be an Uber or Grab driver.

In the latest report, LTA said that 39,000 people have applied for the PDVL as of 21 June 2017, and only 33,000 have been approved.

What happened to the other 6,000 people?

Apparently, 1,300 were rejected. The other 4,700 might still be pending review.

The reason for the rejection is that they have either failed the background checks or have not held a license for at least two years.

For the record, taxi drivers need to have a driving license for at least one year, but the minimum age to apply is 30.

There’s no indication on why the background checks have resulted in a rejection. According to the LTA website, here’re the people who are eligible for the PDVL:

• You must pass LTA’s required medical examination and background checks;
• You must have a valid Class 3/3A/3C/3CA Singapore driving licence for at least a continuous period of two years at the point of application; and
• Be able to speak and read simple English.
• Singapore Permanent Residents and Foreign Work Pass holders (with “Chauffeur” as a vocation) need to be employees driving for a company or business providing chauffeured services.
• Singapore Permanent Resident applying for PDVL must submit a copy of your CPF Contribution Statement (2 Months’ Contribution) and Employment Letter at the point of application.
• Work Pass Holder applying for PDVL must submit a copy of your Certificate of Conduct and Employment Letter at the point of application.
• Taxi Driver’s Vocational Licence Holder need not apply for PDVL (Private Hire Car Driver’s Vocational Licence), if you are driving for Uber and Grab, you may approach your platform provider.

Now, while we won’t know why some people have failed the checks (most likely that would remain a secret so as to prevent abuse of the system), at least we know that the authorities are doing their best to ensure that our safety isn’t compromised.

And for people who have yet to apply for the licence, you’ll better do so soon. It’s already 26 June 2017.

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This article was first published on goodyfeed.com

Featured Image: 1000 Words / Shutterstock.com