Taxi drivers' union toothless to protect S'pore cabbies? One cabbie resigned – others set to follow

A taxi-driver has announced in a public Facebook group of cabbies that he has resigned from the National Taxi Association (NTA), a taxi-drivers’ union affiliated with NTUC. Several other taxi-drivers have commented in the Facebook that they are unhappy that the union is toothless to protect their interest.
It was announced in Parliament on 12 Apr that Uber, Grab or other transport app drivers will be regulated soon. Like taxi drivers, they will need to get a taxi vocational licence and be subjected to the various LTA taxi regulations.
There is no minimum age as long as the drivers held a Class 3/3A driving licence for at least two years.
But the biggest caveat is, both PRs and work permit holders can now apply. They cannot be sole-proprietors however. All they need to do is to come under the umbrella of a transport company. That is to say, they must be employed by a company.
So, for example, a transport company can hire a work permit holder for $1,000 and give him a bit more commission to work as a ‘taxi driver’. No doubt, with the right incentives and the strong S$, the work permit holder will have no qualms working 12 hours a day voluntarily.
Previously, only Singaporeans can drive taxi as can be seen in LTA website (https://www.lta.gov.sg/content/ltaweb/en/public-transport/taxis/industry-matters-for-taxi-drivers/driving-a-taxi-in-singapore.html). Only Singaporeans above 30 years old can drive one:
• You must be at least 30 years old;
• You must be a Singapore Citizen holding a pink NRIC;
• You must have a valid Class 3/3A Singapore driving licence for a continuous period of at least one year at the point of application; and
• You must be able to speak and read basic English.
Now, a 20-year-old foreign work permit holder can also get into this trade. Foreigners can now legally and officially compete with Singaporean taxi drivers on Singapore roads.