Singapore legislation
Section 101
Section 101
Prohibition of use of unlicensed public service vehicles
(1)
Subject to the provisions of this Part, a person must not use a motor vehicle which is not a proscribed vehicle, or cause or permit a motor vehicle which is not a proscribed vehicle to be used, as a public service vehicle unless there is in force, in respect of the vehicle, a valid licence issued under this Part authorising such use, or otherwise than in accordance with the licence and any conditions attached thereto.
(1A)
For the purposes of subsection (1), use of a motor vehicle as a private hire car includes a motor car that —
is in use in connection with a hiring to provide an on‑demand passenger transport service; or
is immediately available to a provider of a ride‑hail service to take or facilitate the taking of bookings for an on‑demand passenger transport service provided using that vehicle (whether immediately or at a later time).
(2)
Any person who contravenes subsection (1) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $3,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or to both.
(3)
A person shall not be convicted of an offence under this section if the person proves to the satisfaction of the court that the person used the motor vehicle, the subject of the charge, as a public service vehicle in an emergency for the purpose of conveying a sick or injured person to hospital or to bring medical aid to that person or for the purpose of making a report to a police station and that the person had made all reasonable efforts to hire a public service vehicle for the purpose of the journey.
(4)
A public service vehicle licence is in addition to any other licence issued under this Act and the Point‑to‑Point Passenger Transport Industry Act 2019.
(5)
Any motor vehicle in respect of which there has been, or there is reasonable cause to suspect that there has been, committed any offence under this section may be seized by any police officer or the Registrar or any officer authorised in writing in that behalf by the Registrar.
(6)
When any motor vehicle has been seized under subsection (5), a police officer or the Registrar or an officer authorised in writing in that behalf by the Registrar —
may temporarily return the motor vehicle to its owner on security being furnished to the satisfaction of the police officer, the Registrar or officer so authorised (as the case may be) that the motor vehicle will be surrendered to him or her on demand; or
must, upon the direction of the Public Prosecutor, and after making any investigations that are necessary for the purposes of this Act, return the motor vehicle to its owner.
(7)
Where it is proved to the satisfaction of a court before which the prosecution has been held that a motor vehicle seized under subsection (5) has been used in the commission of an offence under this section, the court, on the written application of the Public Prosecutor, is to make an order for the forfeiture of the motor vehicle, even though no person may have been convicted of an offence.
(8)
If there be no prosecution with regard to any motor vehicle seized under subsection (5), that vehicle must be released at the end of one month from the date of seizure unless it has sooner been released.
(9)
A police officer may arrest without warrant any person who has committed or whom the police officer reasonably suspects to have committed an offence under this section.
(10)
For the purposes of this section, a proscribed vehicle means a vehicle of the construction, type or description or a class of vehicles declared by the Minister, by order in the Gazette, to be proscribed and not likewise declared, by subsequent order in the Gazette, to be not proscribed.
(11)
An order made under subsection (10) by the Minister may contain any saving, transitional, and other consequential, incidental and supplemental provisions that the Minister considers necessary or expedient for the purposes of this Part.
(12)
A person commits an offence if a person uses or causes or permits a proscribed vehicle to be used as a public service vehicle.
(13)
A person who is guilty of an offence under subsection (12) shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $3,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or to both.