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Under new rules to take effect in second-quarter
2015, operators of the increasingly popular services based on
mobile phone applications will be required to register with
Singapore's Land Transport Authority (LTA). The LTA said the
fees charged by the booking services could not exceed those of
regular taxi companies.
The LTA is in charge of planning, operating, and maintaining
Singapore's land transport infrastructure and systems.
Singapore is one of the most expensive places in the world to
own a private car, and many rely on taxis and public transport
to get around. Finding a cab during peak hours and frequent
tropical downpours can be difficult, stoking interest in the new
taxi apps.
Comfortdelgro Corp is Singapore's largest traditional taxi
company and has its own booking services.
Apps like GrabTaxi, however, offer commuters a choice from taxis
closest to their location, regardless of which company operates
them. An external executive who handles media queries for
GrabTaxi said the company had no immediate comment.
Uber's booking services in Singapore include high-end UberExec
and cheaper UberX cars, along with the options of searching for
regular licensed taxis.
Uber said the new regulations only applied to taxis, and would
not affect UberExec and UberX, for which the company only
partners with already licensed limousine and rental car
companies.
"We appreciate that the LTA has acknowledged the benefits our
technology brings, and like Uber, is putting the interest and
safety of consumers and drivers first," Mike Brown, regional
general manager of Southeast Asia at Uber, said in a statement.
(Reporting by Aradhana Aravindan; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell)
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