Taxis of Singapore
In Singapore, taxis can be flagged down at any time of the day along any public road outside of the Central Business District (CBD), while private hire cars can only be booked via ridesharing apps.
While there are a small number of privately operated Yellow-Top taxis (with a yellow top and black body), their numbers are continually shrinking since no new private licenses have been issued since the 1970s, existing licenses are not transferable, and their holders have to retire at age 75.
All taxi and private hire car drivers in Singapore are required to hold a valid Taxi Driver's Vocational Licence (TDVL) or Private Hire Car Driver's Vocational Licence (PDVL) issued by the Land Transport Authority, after having met basic prerequisites and successfully completed a training course at the Singapore Taxi Academy and passing a theory test.
Holders of the licence may then rent a taxi or private hire car on a daily rental basis.
Drivers found guilty may be fined up to S$500, an enforced rule which brings fare disputes down to a minimum.
A fixed fee is charged for the purpose of conveying the passenger(s) from a pick-up location to a final destination.
It does not cater to additional itineraries requested by passenger(s), such as diverting to other waypoint(s) (for whatever reason) or making extra stop(s) along the original P2P route.
Seat belt wearing is mandatory for all passengers in accordance with §75 of the Road Traffic Act.
In a court judgement on a civil suit due to a road accident, a district court awarded $330,500 damages to a passenger against her cab driver for contributory negligence, because the driver failed to ensure that she (the passenger) wore a seat belt.
[12] Passengers should indicate if they require booster seats or child restraints when they make a booking for a Private Hire Vehicle.
Then Second Minister for Transport, Ng Chee Meng, state that airbags are a supporting safety feature and are not a mandatory requirement for taxis.
The Straits Times claimed that Singapore was the second city in the East with a taxi service, after Calcutta.
[23] In addition, penalties for pirate taxi operators were increased, with higher fines and prison terms for up to six months.
[24] In October 1966, with new government regulation, licensed taxis were required to have a two-tone black and yellow livery, and be fitted with a lit sign with the word 'Taxi" on the roof.
[29] Despite concerns over inconvenience and confusion raised by the Taxi Driver's Association, the Registry of Vehicles declared the trial a success and went on to expand the scheme.
[40] In September 2014, the last Toyota Crown and Nissan Cedric taxis were officially withdrawn from service and scrapped.
In 2017, regulations to safeguard commuter interests were introduced with the advent of the private hire car operators, Uber and Grab - the requirement to have a Private Hire Car Driver's Vocational Licence (PDVL), as well as tamper-evident blue colour decals.
[42][43] On 10 April 2017, ComfortDelGro offers flat fares without surge pricing for the first time and chalks up to 100,000 jobs in 10 days.
[44] In June 2017, it had launched the CabRewards+ Programme which rewards commuters who travel on bus, trains and taxi.
[47] In January 2018, the last Compressed Natural Gas taxicabs were officially withdrawn from service and scrapped.
These include Ryde, TADA and Gojek, whereas some of the operators were short-lived - Kardi, Jugnoo, Filo Ride and Urge.
[50] Additionally, more taxi operators tied on with ride-hailing giants to introduce flat fares, out of which TransCab had signed up with Ryde on 26 September 2019[51] and Gojek on 29 November 2019.
Additionally, TransCab started purchasing Toyota Prius taxis which would also be delivered from January 2019.
