Policy Question
What actions, if any, should be taken by Singapore's Land
Transport Authority to address the impact of third-party taxi booking
applications on the taxi industry and commuters?
Client
Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA). LTA is
"responsible for planning, operating, and maintaining Singapore’s land
transport infrastructure and systems." Taxis are one mode of land
transport which comes under LTA's jurisdiction.
Policy Options
First Option: Status Quo
Third-party taxi booking applications will remain unregulated, so long as drivers using these mobile applications conform to existing regulations that are already in place regarding taxi drivers. Existing regulations stipulate that for-hire vehicles and their drivers must be licensed and covered with appropriate insurance. Otherwise, such vehicles are deemed to be unlicensed and are not allowed to function as taxis.
Third-party taxi booking applications will remain unregulated, so long as drivers using these mobile applications conform to existing regulations that are already in place regarding taxi drivers. Existing regulations stipulate that for-hire vehicles and their drivers must be licensed and covered with appropriate insurance. Otherwise, such vehicles are deemed to be unlicensed and are not allowed to function as taxis.
Second Option: Additional Regulatory Framework
Third-party applications, as well as the drivers who use them, must pass additional licensing requirements stipulated by LTA. Some sample licensing requirements could be with regards to:
Third-party applications, as well as the drivers who use them, must pass additional licensing requirements stipulated by LTA. Some sample licensing requirements could be with regards to:
- Safety: Drivers who use these third-party
applications could be compelled by law to have appropriate phone mounts and
hands-free devices for the use of such apps. The use of applications by taxi
drivers, compared to traditional methods of linking drivers to passengers via a
taxi company-provided dedicated console possibly has additional safety concerns
as the phone is not a fully-customized device for taxi operations only.
- Preventing application use by unlicensed taxi drivers: Such use contravenes existing laws and regulations.
Third Option: Cut Existing Regulations
Existing regulations were established in the era of ‘pirate taxis’ where unlicensed taxi drivers could be criminals pouncing on unsuspecting victim. Now, with the advent of new technology, the credibility of drivers within the ridesharing community is built up over time and their identities verified through online profiles. Ride sharing could be a great way to ease tight traffic conditions in Singapore.
Hi, Edmund,
ReplyDeleteYour second and third options are very useful to solve the problem. The booking application is pretty new, so, the policymaker may use new way to solve it. Obviously, maintaining current policy is not a good choice.
Your second options talks about additional regulatory framework issue the additional license. So, what type of law will be involved? Will the framework makes the procedures too complicated? The drivers may be not familiar with the policy, and give up to get the license.
The third option is interesting--building the drivers’ credibility. The question is what kind of technology will be used and how the drivers should do, in order to build this credibility? Will the date of credibility be processed by Singapore's Land Transport Authority or private date company?
I like the topic that you have chosen for developing policy options. However, I don’t know much about Singapore taxi system, I can only comment based on the information that you have provided. Following are my thoughts, which you may find useful:
ReplyDeleteI like your alternative policy options#2 and #3 when seen independent of each other. However, while reading option#3, after I had already read option#2, I have developed the feeling that both options address different problems. Is it the safety of drivers and passengers that you want to address or traffic congestion in Singapore? My assumption is that we are required to build multiple policy options for one problem. Please consider this as my lack of understanding if you find my comments totally out of context.