Third-Party Taxi Booking Service Providers Bill

Third-Party Taxi Booking Service
Providers Bill

Bill No. 14/2015

Read the first time on 13th April 2015.

An Act to regulate third‑party taxi booking services and to make consequential and related amendments to certain other Acts.

Be it enacted by the President with the advice and consent of the Parliament of Singapore, as follows:

PART 1

PRELIMINARY

Short title and commencement

1. This Act may be cited as the Third‑Party Taxi Booking Service Providers Act 2015 and comes into operation on such date as the Minister may, by notification in the Gazette, appoint.

General interpretation

2. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires —

“access” includes —

(a)	access that is subject to a precondition (such as the use of a password);
(b)	access through push technology; or
(c)	access through a standing request;

“Authority” means the Land Transport Authority of Singapore established under the Land Transport Authority of Singapore Act (Cap. 158A);

“booking” means an arrangement between a taxi driver and a passenger for the taxi driver to transport the passenger in a taxi on a journey determined by that passenger;

“business” includes a venture or concern in trade or commerce, conducted on a regular, repetitive or continuous basis;

“certificate of registration” means a certificate issued to a registered provider under section 12(1);

“code of practice” includes performance standards and technical standards;

“modification” and “modify”, in relation to the conditions of registration, include deleting or varying and substituting a condition and adding a condition;

“public service vehicle” has the same meaning as in the Road Traffic Act (Cap. 276);

“register” means to register under this Act;

“registered provider” means a person who is registered under this Act;

“taxi” means a public service vehicle which is classified as a taxi under the Second Schedule to the Road Traffic Act.

Meaning of “third‑party taxi booking service” and associated terms

3.—(1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires —

“taxi service” means the transport by taxi of passengers within, or partly within, Singapore;

“third‑party taxi booking service” means a taxi booking service —

(a)	that can be accessed by taxi drivers who are not employees of, or hirers of taxis from, the provider of the taxi booking service;
(b)	that facilitates bookings for taxi services; and
(c)	that has a number of participating taxis equal to or greater than the threshold number;

“threshold number” means 21 or such other number as the Minister may, by notification in the Gazette, prescribe in substitution.

(2) For the purposes of this Act, a person provides a taxi booking service if the person does all of the following in the course of business:

(a)	facilitate bookings for taxi services;
(b)	send information about bookings for taxi services to taxi drivers;
(c)	assign bookings for taxi services to taxi drivers;
(d)	assign taxis to persons making bookings for taxi services.

(3) For the purposes of this Act, a taxi is a participating taxi in relation to a third‑party taxi booking service if one or more taxi drivers licensed under the Road Traffic Act (Cap. 276) to drive the taxi —

(a)	have access to the third‑party taxi booking service; and
(b)	receive information about bookings for taxi services from that service.

(4) Where the Minister prescribes another threshold number in substitution by notification in the Gazette, the notification may contain such savings, transitional, incidental or consequential provisions as the Minister considers necessary or proper.

Purpose of Act

4. The purpose of this Act is to regulate the provision of third‑party taxi booking services for journeys within, or partly within, Singapore with the object of facilitating the provision of third‑party taxi booking services that are safe, reliable and efficient, and that are responsive to the demand for taxi services in Singapore.

Licensed taxi service operator not subject to Act

5. This Act does not apply to a taxi service operator within the meaning of section 111A of the Road Traffic Act (Cap. 276) in respect of any taxi booking service that the taxi service operator provides to any taxi driver licensed under that Act to drive a taxi owned by the taxi service operator.

Extra‑territorial application

6. This Act extends to any conduct outside Singapore, or partly inside or partly outside Singapore, that results in the provision of any third‑party taxi booking service for journeys by taxi within, or partly within, Singapore.

Search within Legislation