Uber and Grab drivers can apply for a licence from Monday

SINGAPORE — Days before a new licensing regime opens for applications, Grab and Uber on Thursday (March 9)  assured their private-hire car drivers that the related costs of applying for the new vocational licence will be taken care of.

From Monday, drivers may begin applying for a Private Hire Car Driver’s Vocational Licence (PDVL), one of a slew of regulations announced last April as part of a regime to regulate the burgeoning private-hire car sector. 

To qualify for a PDVL, applicants must have held a Class 3 or 3A driver’s licence for at least two years before applying, which comes at a S$40 fee. 

They must also undergo a medical examination and attend a 10-hour PDVL course, among other things. 

Those who sign up by June 30 will have up to a year to attend and pass the course by the Singapore Taxi Academy (STA), during which they may continue providing private-hire car services. 

Drivers who sign up thereafter must obtain a licence before they can do so.

In a press briefing on Thursday morning, Grab announced that it was injecting S$10 million into its GrabCar service, including helping its private-hire drivers to obtain their PDVL. 

It will also foot related costs, such as for medical check-ups, training and tests, as well as the application fee. 

The ride-hailing platform will set up an online PDVL application portal to facilitate applications from its drivers, including preparing their records in advance and issuing reminders. 

Grab’s country head for Singapore, Mr Lim Kell Jay, acknowledged that there could be driver attrition, particularly among its part-time or less-active drivers who take only a handful of bookings a week. 

Mr Lim noted, however, that these drivers can still choose to drive for GrabHitch, a service that matches private-car owners to commuters who need a lift and is unaffected by the new regime. 

The ride-hailing platform will also co-contribute to the Medisave accounts of full-time drivers — those who clock at least 80 trips weekly.

Later in the day, Uber unveiled its FastLane programme that will cover all the costs associated with applying for the PDVL, including medical check-ups and application fees. It is tying up with Raffles Medical clinics to provide free medical screening for its drivers. 

Without the programme, a driver would have had to pay around S$350, all in. 

The programme came about after engagement sessions with its drivers. Uber Singapore general manager Warren Tseng said the concerns raised included the wish for a “seamless PDVL process”, with round-the-clock support and no extra financial burden. 

To this end, FastLane is aiming to cut the number of visits — to places such as the Land Transport Authority and Uber’s driver centre in Paya Lebar — by almost half. 

It will also halve the time the drivers need to complete all the paperwork needed, as well as to undergo the medical examination, to between two and three weeks.

The company is looking to leverage technology to expedite and streamline applications. 

It is exploring setting up a mobile clinic for drivers at its driver centre, as well as having “pop-up PDVL classes” at convenient  locations for drivers, obviating the need to visit the STA or its driver centre for classes.