Singapore legislation
Regulation 33H
of Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Registration and Licensing) Rules
Regulation 33H
Re-registration of private hire cars as business service passenger vehicles or private motor cars and vice versa
Subregulation 1
The Registrar may, in the discretion of the Registrar, upon application in an approved form and manner and on payment of a prescribed conversion fee of $100 —
re-register a business service passenger vehicle as —
a chauffeured private hire car; or
a self-drive private hire car;
re-register a chauffeured private hire car as —
a business service passenger vehicle;
a private motor car; or
a self-drive private hire car;
re-register a private motor car as —
a chauffeured private hire car; or
a self-drive private hire car; or
re-register a self-drive private hire car as —
a business service passenger vehicle;
a chauffeured private hire car; or
a private motor car.
Subregulation 2
The classes of business service passenger vehicles to which paragraph (1)(a) applies are —
a business service passenger vehicle which has been registered using a certificate of entitlement issued on or after 1 April 1998; and
a business service passenger vehicle which —
before 1 April 1998, was registered as a private motor car; and
on or after that date, was transferred to and re-registered in the name of the Government or any statutory board, company, firm, society, club or association as a business service passenger vehicle.
Subregulation 3
The Registrar may, in the discretion of the Registrar, waive in whole or in part the conversion fee prescribed under paragraph (1).
Subregulation 4
In granting an application under paragraph (1) or a waiver under paragraph (3), the Registrar may impose any condition.
Subregulation 5
Despite paragraph (1), the Registrar must not re-register any motor vehicle under this rule as a chauffeured private hire car unless —
the motor vehicle is produced for an inspection by any examiner authorised by the Registrar under the Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Test) Rules (R 21); and
the Registrar is satisfied that the examiner issued, no earlier than 3 months before the application to re-register the motor vehicle is made, a test certificate stating that the prescribed statutory requirements are complied with in relation to the vehicle.
Subregulation 6
Despite paragraph (1) and subject to paragraph (7), the Registrar must not re-register a chauffeured private hire car under paragraph (1)(b) that has been registered in the name of a business.
Subregulation 7
However, subject to paragraph (8), the Registrar may, in the discretion of the Registrar, re-register a chauffeured private hire car under paragraph (1)(b) that has been registered in the name of a business (called business X) after a period of 3 years has elapsed after any of the following dates:
where the chauffeured private hire car has, at all times, been registered under the Act in the name of business X — the date the chauffeured private hire car was so registered;
where the vehicle has been re-registered under the Act as a chauffeured private hire car in the name of business X and its registration has not subsequently been transferred under the Act to the name of any other business — the date the chauffeured private hire car was so re-registered;
where the vehicle has been re-registered under the Act as a chauffeured private hire car in the name of any business (including business X) and its registration has subsequently been transferred under the Act (through one or more transfers to the name of any business) to the name of business X — the date the chauffeured private hire car was so re-registered;
where the registration under the Act of a chauffeured private hire car has been transferred under the Act from the name of an individual to the name of business X and its registration has not subsequently been transferred under the Act to the name of any other business — the date the registration of the chauffeured private hire car was so transferred from the name of the individual;
where the registration under the Act of a chauffeured private hire car has been transferred under the Act from the name of an individual to the name of any business (including business X) and its registration has subsequently been transferred under the Act (through one or more transfers to the name of any business) to the name of business X — the date the registration of the chauffeured private hire car was so transferred from the name of the individual.
Subregulation 8
Paragraph (7) only applies —
in the case of paragraph (7)(a) — where the registration mentioned in paragraph (7)(a) is made using a certificate of entitlement issued on or after 19 February 2025; (b)in the case of paragraph (7)(b) or (c) — where an application for the re-registration mentioned in paragraph (7)(b) or (c) was submitted on or after 19 February 2025; or
in the case of paragraph (7)(d) or (e) — where an application for the transfer mentioned in paragraph (7)(d) or (e) from the name of an individual was submitted on or after 19 February 2025.
Subregulation 9
In paragraphs (6) and (7), the name of a business refers to —
the name of a company, firm, society, club, association, insurer, charitable organisation or car-sharing co-operative;
the business name of an individual registered under the Business Names Registration Act 2014;
the name of a business trust registered under the Business Trusts Act 2004;
the name of a limited partnership registered under the Limited Partnerships Act 2008; or
the name of a Town Council established under section 4 of the Town Councils Act 1988.