In forceAmended2020 Revised Edition

Contents

Point-to-Point Passenger Transport Industry Act 2019 · 2020 Revised Edition · Part 1 · Preliminary

4. Meaning of “ride‑hail service” and associated terms

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Amended

Last amended by an amending law of 2024.

(1)

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires —

“bookable vehicle” means any of the following motor vehicles:

(a)

a taxi;

(b)

a private hire car (within the meaning given by the Road Traffic Act 1961) which is hired, or made available for hire, under a contract (express or implied) for use as a whole with a driver for the purpose of conveying one or more passengers (if any) in that car;

(c)

a motor vehicle that is within a class allowed under section 101 of the Road Traffic Act 1961 to be used as a public service vehicle, and is prescribed as permissible for the purposes of this definition;

“booking”, in relation to a ride‑hail service, means a booking for a motor vehicle to be used in providing an on‑demand passenger transport service taken or facilitated by the provider of the ride‑hail service;

“on‑demand passenger transport service” means a passenger transport service —

(a)

provided using bookable vehicles;

(b)

in which the passenger or hirer determines or substantially determines the locations for the beginning and end of the journey and the time of travel; and

(c)

which does not involve a street‑hail service;

“on‑demand ride booking service” means —

(a)

a service that involves —

(i)

taking or facilitating bookings for bookable vehicles made available, or to be made available, in providing on‑demand passenger transport services (whether immediately or at a later time); and

(ii)

communicating the bookings to —

(A)

providers of on‑demand passenger transport services;

(B)

other providers of on‑demand ride booking services; or

(C)

drivers of bookable vehicles made available, or to be made available, to carry out the on‑demand passenger transport services;

(b)

a service that involves taking or facilitating bookings for bookable vehicles made available, or to be made available, in providing on‑demand passenger transport services (whether immediately or at a later time), where the person who takes or facilitates the bookings is an authorised driver carrying out the service;

(c)

a service that involves the provision of passenger transport services by bookable vehicles for hire or reward where the passengers are transported under a vehicle pooling arrangement as prescribed; or

(d)

a service that the Regulations prescribe is an on‑demand ride booking service,but excludes any service of a kind that the Regulations prescribe is not an on‑demand ride booking service;

“participating bookable driver”, in relation to a provider of a ride‑hail service, means an authorised driver who has a participating driver agreement with the provider;

“participating driver agreement”, in relation to a provider of a ride-hail service, means an agreement or arrangement between the provider of a ride‑hail service and a driver of a bookable vehicle under which —

(a)

the provider agrees to —

(i)

take or facilitate any booking by or on behalf of a passenger for bookable vehicles made available, or to be made available, in providing on‑demand passenger transport services (whether immediately or at a later time) to the passenger; and

(ii)

communicate the booking to participating bookable drivers; and

(b)

the driver agrees to carry out the on‑demand passenger transport service in the booking by transporting the passenger for hire or reward, using a bookable vehicle,and it does not matter —

(c)

whether or not —

(i)

the driver is an employee or agent of the provider of the ride‑hail service; or

(ii)

where the provider of the ride‑hail service is a platform operator, the driver is a platform worker of the provider; or

(d)

whether the vehicle is hired from that provider;

“platform operator” has the meaning given by section 4 of the Platform Workers Act 2024;

“platform worker” has the meaning given by section 5(1) of the Platform Workers Act 2024;

“provide a ride‑hail service” means providing in the course of business a ride‑hail service;

“ride‑hail service” means —

(a)

an on‑demand passenger transport service; or

(b)

an on‑demand ride booking service.

(2)

For the purpose of determining whether a person provides a ride‑hail service in Singapore, it does not matter —

(a)

that a booking is obtained or communicated remotely by means of an electronic device or other means not directly provided by the person who provides the service; or

(b)

that the provider of the ride‑hail service is located outside Singapore, if the on‑demand passenger transport service to which the ride‑hail service relates is provided wholly or partly within Singapore.

(3)

To avoid doubt, a person provides —

(a)

an on‑demand ride booking service if the person contracts with, or arranges for, other persons to provide the on‑demand passenger transport service booked through the ride booking service unless excluded by the Regulations; or

(b)

a ride-hail service if the person provides an on‑demand passenger transport service and takes bookings for that on‑demand passenger transport service.

(4)

However, in this Act, a person is not to be regarded as providing an on‑demand passenger transport service solely because the person drives a public service motor vehicle for use in carrying out that service.

(5)

For the purposes of this Act, an on‑demand passenger transport service relates to a ride‑hail service if the on‑demand passenger transport service is or is to be carried out as a result of a booking taken or facilitated by —

(a)

a provider of an on‑demand ride booking service comprised in the ride‑hail service; or

(b)

a provider of the ride‑hail service.

Terms defined in this Act

authorised driver
Defined · s 2
“authorised driver” means an individual —(a)with a relevant vocational driving authorisation who drives a public service vehicle to transport passengers for hire or reward in the provision of a passenger transport service; or(b)who is exempt under section 142 of the Road Traffic Act 1961 from requiring a relevant vocational driving authorisation to drive a public service vehicle to transport passengers for hire or reward;
Open s 2
business
Defined · s 2
“business” includes any business, whether or not carried on for profit and whether or not its primary function is connected with point‑to‑point passenger transport services;
Open s 2
hirer
Defined · s 2
“hirer” includes a prospective hirer of a motor vehicle;
Open s 2
motor vehicle
Defined · s 2
“motor vehicle” means a vehicle that is built to be propelled on a road wholly or in part by a motor that forms part of the vehicle, but does not include a mobility scooter, motorised wheelchair, power‑assisted bicycle or personal mobility device within the respective meanings given by the Active Mobility Act 2017;
Open s 2
passenger
Defined · s 2
“passenger” includes a prospective passenger;
Open s 2
passenger transport service
Defined · s 2
“passenger transport service” means a service involving the transport by a motor vehicle of passengers within, or partly within, Singapore for hire or reward, but does not include a service that provides transport by a motor vehicle that is generally conducted on land that is not a road;
Open s 2
provider
Defined · s 2
“provider”, in relation to a point‑to‑point passenger transport service, means the person who provides the service;
Open s 2
public service motor vehicle
Defined · s 2
“public service motor vehicle” means a public service vehicle which is a motor vehicle;
Open s 2
public service vehicle
Defined · s 2
“public service vehicle” has the meaning given by the Road Traffic Act 1961;
Open s 2
Regulations
Defined · s 2
“Regulations” means any regulations made under section 53;
Open s 2
road
Defined · s 2
“road” has the meaning given by section 2(1) of the Road Traffic Act 1961;
Open s 2
street‑hail service
Defined · s 3
“street‑hail service” means a passenger transport service —(a)provided using motor vehicles which are taxis, 2 or more of which at any time in a year are taxis owned by the provider of that service; and(b)under which any individual can hail or hire on‑demand such a motor vehicle when it is —(i)standing or plying for hire on a road; and(ii)authorised under this Act or the Road Traffic Act 1961 to stand or ply for hire on a road (whether or not the motor vehicle is hired by other means for the purposes of providing that passenger transport service).
Open s 3
taxi
Defined · s 2
“taxi” means a public service vehicle which is classified as a taxi under the Second Schedule to the Road Traffic Act 1961;
Open s 2