Singapore legislation
Section 13
Section 13
Grant, etc., of bus service licences
(1)
After considering any application for or to renew a bus service licence, the LTA may —
on payment of —
a bus service licence fee (if prescribed) — grant the applicant a Class 1 bus service licence or Class 2 bus service licence; or
a renewal fee or late renewal fee (if prescribed) — renew the licence; or
refuse to grant or renew the bus service licence, as the case may be.
(2)
In deciding whether an applicant should be granted a Class 1 bus service licence, or whether the applicant’s Class 1 bus service licence should be renewed, and the conditions to impose or modify, the LTA must have regard to, and give such weight as the LTA considers appropriate to, all of the following matters:
the applicant’s capacity to comply with the requirements for financial viability in operating the regular route services in the application;
the applicant’s capacity to deliver the regular route services in the application according to the performance standards and other terms in a public bus services contract;
the demand for the regular route services in the application;
the existence of other bus services in the same area;
whether the applicant is a company, partnership, limited liability partnership or other body corporate;
whether the applicant and, where necessary, whether —
every member of the board of directors or committee or board of trustees or other governing body of an applicant that is a company, limited liability partnership or other body corporate; or
every partner of an applicant that is a partnership,is a suitable person to be involved in the management or operation of the regular route services in the application;
whether it is otherwise contrary to the public interest for the licence to be granted to the applicant.
(3)
For the purpose of determining whether or not a person referred to in subsection (2)(f) is a suitable person to be involved in the management or operation of 10 or more regular route services, the LTA must, having regard to the degree and nature of the person’s proposed involvement in the public bus system in Singapore, have regard to, and give such weight as the LTA considers appropriate to, all of the following matters:
the person’s relevant knowledge, competency and experience;
any evidence of the exercise of any power under section 39 in relation to the person —
for committing an offence under this Act; or
for contravening any notice or direction given under this Act;
any conviction for committing —
an offence under Part 5 of the Road Traffic Act 1961 or rules made under that Part in relation to buses, or under the Public Transport Council Act 1987, whether or not the offence was committed before 22 January 2016; or
any other offence, whether or not the conviction was in a Singapore court and whether or not the offence was committed before 22 January 2016.
(4)
In determining whether an applicant should be granted a Class 2 bus service licence, or whether the applicant’s Class 2 bus service licence should be renewed, and the conditions to impose or modify, the LTA must have regard to, and give such weight as the LTA considers appropriate to, all of the following matters:
the applicant’s ability and financial capacity to operate the bus services in the application in a satisfactory, safe and efficient manner;
the suitability of the route or routes on which a bus service is to be provided under the licence;
the extent (if any) to which the needs of those proposed route or routes are already adequately and satisfactorily served by existing land transport facilities;
the needs of the area as a whole in relation to passenger demand (including the provision of adequate, safe, suitable and efficient services, the elimination of unnecessary or unsatisfactory services and the provision of unremunerative services) and the coordination of all forms of passenger transport;
whether it is otherwise contrary to the public interest for the licence to be granted to the applicant.
(5)
To avoid doubt, the LTA is not confined to consideration of the matters specified in subsection (2), (3) or (4) and may take into account any other matters and evidence that may be relevant.
(6)
Without affecting subsection (1), the LTA may grant a renewal of a bus service licence (of any class) with or without modifying the conditions of the licence, but section 16 does not apply to or in relation to granting a renewal of a bus service licence with modifications to the conditions of the licence.