Tag Archives: Private Hire

A taxi driver finds it sad that educated youths are turning to private hire instead of getting proper jobs that match their qualifications. Why is it so difficult to get a job in Singapore nowadays? Why is it so poorly managed?

A netizen asked for taxi and private hire drivers to take note of an unnamed hotel which refused to pay up after booking 96 taxi rides for its staff. The total bill surpasses $4000. Its HR even had the cheek to say it does not want to deal with drivers.

Our reader thinks the Government keeps saying it will protect Singaporean workers but are not doing what they promised, as statistics seem to suggest otherwise. Surprise?

A seller on online marketplace Carousell who goes by the moniker dd740 wrote in a listing: “We can help you to modify your PDVL to become removable (without seeing the “void” word). Any time can remove and paste back easily.”

A netizen posted this photo of an accident between 2 private hire vehicles and an SMRT taxi. According to him, the accident happened around Ubi Junction. Does anyone know how it happened? We don't need more accidents caused by distracted drivers!

Most of the taxi drivers say that this is an "archaic" rule, and it counters the Government trumpet-blowing of urging citizens to embrace disruptive technology and the gig economy. Drivers should not be denied a means to earn extra income, as already the market for the drivers are very tight and they can barely make a living just by picking up passengers.

Our reader alerted us that Uber stopped him from using any promo code as it said he violated its Terms of Service without giving any explanation. Only after persistent questions did Uber reply that it was because he shared a promo with another person. Our reader did not know it wasn't allowed and feels unfair as promo codes are shared online everywhere.

I am in a comfort taxi yesterday and the driver looks more concern in catching errand motorists than driving me as the passenger safely. If they are really getting annoyed with these private hire cars causing them to lose their cabbies because many drivers have jumped ships, then they should just work together with LTA to enforce such policing activities!

The LTA has moved to remind all Uber and Grab drivers that starting from tomorrow onwards, all private-hire car drivers must display the licence or special decals to show that they are private hire drivers. Failure to do so will result in a fine or even jail time for the drivers. Thus far, 27,000 private hire car drivers have been affixed with the tamper proof decals. The decals are meant to make it easier for commuters to identify registered drivers, and also allows enforcement against those who are unlicensed.

I have been commuting regularly by Grab and Uber cars for the past 11/2 years and have found that some of these vehicles, especially the older rented ones, tend to emit a musty smell from the air-conditioners. When I brought up the issue with some of the drivers, I was informed that the filters in the air-conditioners have gone mouldy as a result of poor maintenance. Some of the drivers resorted to using air fresheners, but this does not get to the root of the problem. As a safety precaution, I can only wind down the windows. The inhalation of mould particles is bad for health, regardless of whether the driver or passenger is asthmatic. In fact, it will be worse for an asthmatic person. Having also commuted by taxis for many years, I must say that taxi companies here do a good job in maintaining the overall condition of their fleets. It is time private-hire car companies strove to do better in terms of the overall cleanliness - particularly the air quality - of their cars.