40 percent of private-hire drivers without vocational licence
01 Jun 2018|3,704 views
A total of 23,900 drivers, or about 40 percent, have yet to undergo the Private Hire Car Driver's Vocational Licence (PDVL) training or pass the test. Private-hire drivers were given a one-year grace period by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to provide chauffeur services after the regulator introduced a vocational licensing scheme in the middle of last year.
They were allowed to continue operating for apps such as Grab and the now-defunct Uber, provided they sent in a PDVL application before 1st July 2017.
The LTA has given these drivers up to 30th June this year to take the 10-hour vocational licence course and pass the test. If they fail, they will have to stop providing chauffeured services. It is unclear how many are opting not to attend the training entirely or have difficulty passing the test.
The LTA said that test currently has a 70 percent passing rate. Observers have said that many among this group may also leave the industry entirely, in the wake of the Grab-Uber merger in March. Since then, drivers have said that bonuses have been dialled back, resulting in lower incomes.
While drivers have grumbled about the long queue to get a slot to attend the PDVL course and take the test, the LTA said on Friday (1st June) that the average waiting period has been reduced from between four and six weeks, to one week. The LTA has increased course capacity by appointing ComfortDelGro Taxi as a new training provider, and the Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) as a new test centre in December 2017.
Before that, the Singapore Taxi Academy was the main training provider and test centre for PDVL applicants. The LTA said on Friday that it strongly encourages the 23,900 private-hire car drivers to sign up for the training and take the PDVL test.
"This is to avoid a situation where these drivers are unable to obtain a PDVL by the 30th June deadline due to a last-minute surge in sign-ups," the authority said.
The LTA added that since the start of the year, it has been sending SMSes and letter reminders to these drivers and is also working with the National Private Hire Vehicle Association to get drivers to go for the course. Private-hire car drivers who drive without the PDVL can be fined up to $1,000, jailed for up to three months, or receive a combination of both penalties.
A total of 23,900 drivers, or about 40 percent, have yet to undergo the Private Hire Car Driver's Vocational Licence (PDVL) training or pass the test. Private-hire drivers were given a one-year grace period by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to provide chauffeur services after the regulator introduced a vocational licensing scheme in the middle of last year.
They were allowed to continue operating for apps such as Grab and the now-defunct Uber, provided they sent in a PDVL application before 1st July 2017.
The LTA has given these drivers up to 30th June this year to take the 10-hour vocational licence course and pass the test. If they fail, they will have to stop providing chauffeured services. It is unclear how many are opting not to attend the training entirely or have difficulty passing the test.
The LTA said that test currently has a 70 percent passing rate. Observers have said that many among this group may also leave the industry entirely, in the wake of the Grab-Uber merger in March. Since then, drivers have said that bonuses have been dialled back, resulting in lower incomes.
While drivers have grumbled about the long queue to get a slot to attend the PDVL course and take the test, the LTA said on Friday (1st June) that the average waiting period has been reduced from between four and six weeks, to one week. The LTA has increased course capacity by appointing ComfortDelGro Taxi as a new training provider, and the Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) as a new test centre in December 2017.
Before that, the Singapore Taxi Academy was the main training provider and test centre for PDVL applicants. The LTA said on Friday that it strongly encourages the 23,900 private-hire car drivers to sign up for the training and take the PDVL test.
"This is to avoid a situation where these drivers are unable to obtain a PDVL by the 30th June deadline due to a last-minute surge in sign-ups," the authority said.
The LTA added that since the start of the year, it has been sending SMSes and letter reminders to these drivers and is also working with the National Private Hire Vehicle Association to get drivers to go for the course. Private-hire car drivers who drive without the PDVL can be fined up to $1,000, jailed for up to three months, or receive a combination of both penalties.
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