Some 12 years after the taxi industry has been liberalised in Singapore with TransCab, Premier and SMRT joining the fray, trying to get hold of a regular cab can still be a daunting task on Friday evenings, any time it rains and if you stay in Sengkang on a Saturday morning.

However, up-and-coming tech companies, such as Uber and GrabTaxi, are on a war path to disrupt this industry and make everything commuters have put up with -- from convoluted fare structures to insane waiting times -- a thing of the past.

These two companies have made their presence felt in Singapore the past two years since they arrived.

And it looks like they have finally pried open enough loopholes to get a parallel car transport operating model up and running that does not breach any existing regulations.

The good news?

Commuters look set to have more choices other than ComfortDelGro or SMRT taxis.

And anyone with spare time and a driver's license is able to become a part-time private cabbie to earn extra pocket money.

Here's how:

About four months ago, Uber set up a wholly owned car rental company.

Here's the best part: Anyone can become a part-time or full-time Uber car driver.

Cars -- private and unmarked type of vehicles just like those meant for personal use -- are then rented out to drivers at rates that are half the rate for taxis of a similar age.

Here's a rough gauge: Daily rentals currently range from around $130 for a regular Korean taxi to close to $180 for a new Mercedes-Benz taxi.

Here's the loophole: Hirers only have to set up a $2 shell company. This is to meet a regulation that says that only employees of a limousine company can provide chauffeured services.

The hirer will then become both the employee and boss of the shell company that provides chauffeured services.

The only catch is that drivers have to cater to a minimum of 40 rides a week -- which is still far lesser than the 250km a day regular cabbies have to clock -- and they are only allowed to accept call-booking jobs via their apps and not do street hails.

GrabTaxi is currently also adopting a similar approach as Uber. It has teamed up with a local car rental company instead of starting its own.

Although it might still be its infancy stages -- call-booking jobs currently account for only 20 percent of all taxi rides -- this industry looks set to explode soon.

What can be expected in the near future, though, is for the authorities to implement more regulations to ensure commuter safety, adequate insurance coverage and a more level playing field because taxi companies have been crying foul.

Until then, brilliant, right?

[H/T The Straits Times]

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