With at least 23,000 private-hire drivers who have yet to obtain their vocational licence, it looks like they might switch to either other jobs, or to driving taxis.
As per the Land Transport Authority’s deadline of June 30 for them to obtain their Private Hire Car Driver’s Vocational License (PDVL), come July, ride-sharing companies such as Grab, Ryde and Jugnoo might lost many of their drivers.
On the consumers’ side of things, there has been a significant drop in the number of promotional codes released, meaning that fares for private-hire vehicles are no longer discounted.
Higher fares seem to be the main gripe of Grab’s customers, and coupled with fewer promotional codes, people turn to other alternatives.
Because of LTA regulations that require all private-hire vehicle (PHV) drivers to have a vocational license, there is a significant drop in the number of PHV drivers, who could be making the switch to taxis.
The The Taxi Driver’s Vocational Licence differs from the PDVL, and taxi company ComfortDelGro said that the number of Taxi Driver’s Vocational Licence applicants surged three times in May, compared with January.
LTA figures also show that the percentage of unhired taxis dropped from 12.5 per cent in January to 9 per cent in April.
Netizens have few good things to say about the current ride-hailing services available on the market and their Facebook pages can be found peppered with complaints.
obbana@theindependent.sg