SINGAPORE — Just a week before the deadline, 23,000 private-hire car drivers have yet to obtain their vocational licence, and ride-hailing company Grab is mulling over other options for these drivers, including converting them to food-delivery partners.

In a statement on Friday (June 22), the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said about 54 per cent of the 42,900 applicants for the Private Hire Car Driver’s Vocational Licence (PDVL) have not passed the test so far.

These are drivers who applied for the licence before July last year and were given a one-year concession to attend a course and pass a test to obtain their licence. They must do so by June 30, after which they would no longer be allowed to offer private-hire car services.

Most private-hire car drivers here use the Grab platform, after the company’s acquisition of United States ride-hailing firm Uber’s regional operations in March. The deal is under review by Singapore’s competition watchdog, but Uber has since ceased operations here.

Responding to TODAY’s queries earlier this week, a Grab spokesperson said drivers wishing to continue earning an income via its platform can also become delivery-partners under GrabFood, its food-delivery service. “We continue to explore other options to help those who are unable to drive after June 30,” the spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, ComfortDelGro Taxi, one of the two vocational-licence training providers, told TODAY that it has observed the number of Taxi Driver’s Vocational Licence applicants surging nearly three-fold in May, compared with January — a sign that some private-hire car drivers may be crossing over to the traditional taxi firms.

"We haven’t seen the same kind of growth for PDVL as we have for the Taxi Driver’s Vocational Licence," said Ms Tammy Tan, ComfortDelGro’s group corporate communications officer.

The tide appears to be turning in favour of the taxi industry, with figures from the LTA showing the percentage of unhired taxis tumbling from 12.5 per cent in January to 9 per cent in April.

Apart from ComfortDelGro Taxi, the Singapore Taxi Academy runs a training and test centre for PDVL applicants. The labour movement’s Employment and Employability Institute also runs a test centre.

When contacted, the Singapore Taxi Academy declined comment.

The LTA said that as of June 17, more than four in five of the 23,000 unlicensed private-hire car drivers had not registered for the test despite reminders from the LTA, Grab and the National Private Hire Vehicles Association. More than 90 per cent of these drivers have also not attended training.

LAST-DITCH PUSH

Meanwhile, Grab is making a last-ditch effort to ensure drivers get their PDVL in time, with the company starting one-to-one consultations for drivers earlier this month.

The walk-in “PDVL clinics” are held throughout the week at both its Herencia branch near River Valley as well as its Sin Ming driver centre.

Nearly 10 staff members trained to answer PDVL queries are managing the service, which is aimed at helping “driver-partners get their PDVL quicker and more efficiently by providing specialised support on any issues related to training, revision and tests, as well as medical screening and other administrative matters”.

Grab’s spokesperson added that in less than a fortnight, more than 500 drivers have sought consultations.

These sessions are on top of a slew of efforts by the ride-hailing firm, including holding revision classes in English and Chinese to better prepare drivers for the test.

In February, TODAY reported that some applicants — mainly older drivers — were struggling to pass the test despite a flurry of attempts. They lamented its emphasis on memorisation, which they said was unfair to older drivers seeking a means to eke out a living.

Some had questioned the need to quiz drivers on subjects like personal health and laws.

Earlier this month, the LTA said questions on health and counter-terrorism have been removed from the test, to place a larger focus on the skills needed for private-hire car services. These topics would, however, remain in the training curriculum.

Drivers who do not receive their PDVL after June 30 but wish to continue providing the service will have to reapply.

This excludes those who signed up for the course and test before the end of this month, and have been scheduled to take the test in early July. These drivers will be allowed to provide the service once they get their licence, the LTA said.