Some 23,000 private hire drivers in Singapore have not obtained their Private Driver Vocational License (PDVL).

And come July 1, 2018, they will not be able to continue driving if they have not sat for the test and obtained their licence.

The number has fortunately dropped since April this year:

One year to attend course and take test

In 2017, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced that drivers who want to drive private hire cars will need to undergo a course and a test in order to get the PDVL, with effect from July 1, 2017.

Back then, those who were already private hire drivers (about 42,900) were offered an Approval-To-Drive (ATD) for one year. Within that time frame, they had to attend a course and sit for a test and get the PDVL.

They have to obtain the license before June 30, 2018, otherwise they will have to stop driving until they reapply for their PDVL again.

One year on, LTA revealed that only 19,900 from the 42,900 applicants passed and obtained their PDVL.

Out of the remaining 23,000 who don't have the PVDL, more than 90 percent haven't even attended the course, let alone sit for the test.

Incidentally, after Grab's acquisition of Uber in March 2018, a large bulk of private hire car drivers now use Grab's platform.

Grab is trying to find avenues to accommodate drivers who have not obtained the PDVL license, such as offering them work as food delivery partners.

On the other hand, Today reported that ComfortDelGro saw their number of Taxi Driver Vocational License applications surge nearly threefold in May 2018, compared to January 2018.

Many private hire car drivers jumping over to taxis

There are a couple of reasons that can explain the exodus of private hire Grab drivers to the taxi firms.

For one, taxi fares are charged according to the meter, which provides some level of transparency for drivers.

On the other hand, ride-hailing companies calculate their fares by including a component that fluctuates according to demand or "surge", leading some drivers to complain that their fares are not commensurate with the distance they have travelled.

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Secondly, taxis are exempted from the LTA ruling that riders below 1.35m need to be belted into a booster seat, apparently because taxis are considered public service vehicles.

If you are a Grab driver, you would know that one of the major bugbears of driving with Grab is dealing with riders who choose to flout this rule, leading to conflict and in some cases, very bloody injuries.

Drivers' opinions on the PDVL test

Anecdotally, drivers who Mothership spoke to, have differing opinions on the PDVL test.

One driver felt that having the test administered in English only makes it difficult for drivers who are not proficient in the language.

After all, the Basic Theory Test and Final Theory Tests that all drivers in Singapore take come in four languages.

However, according to LTA, drivers of private hire cars and taxis need to be proficient in simple English because they come into contact with a "wide range of commuters":

The provision of chauffeured service puts drivers in contact with a wide range of commuters every day. Hence, PHC and taxi drivers must be able to speak simple English to communicate effectively with all commuters – both Singaporeans and tourists. Drivers must also be able to read English, so that they can navigate roads and buildings, the names of which are primarily in English.

- Taken from LTA press release "PHC Drivers With ATD Concession Need To Obtain Their PDVL By 30 June 2018" dated June 22, 2018.

To be fair, being able to speak and read simple English is also a requirement for drivers applying for the Taxi Driver Vocational Licence.

LTA encourages those who need help understanding English to approach the Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) Workplace Literacy Program, which can be paid using SkillsFuture Credit. 

Those who need help understanding the PVDL course can attend remedial lessons conducted by the Singapore Taxi Academy and ComfortDelGro Taxi training centres.

Another driver Mothership spoke to said the test was relatively easy, but the amount of memorisation needed could be a hurdle for some older drivers.

Earlier in June, LTA altered the PDVL test to remove questions on counter-terrorism and health.

The PDVL

The course for the PDVL is 10 hours long and costs S$40.

The materials cover road offences, penalties, operational costs that private-hire drivers incur, bus lane operational day, - just to name a few.

You can find some sample questions here.

If you were to trawl Facebook groups for private hire car drivers, it's possible to get a rough idea of how easy or difficult the PVDL test is, and the outpouring of support from other drivers.

Ultimately for those who cannot get the PVDL, LTA advises that they approach e2i or Workforce Singapore for employment assistance.

Additionally LTA will work with Grab and training provides to refer these drivers to driving-related jobs.

Top image by Joshua Lee