The Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) has published a survey to gauge public sentiment on taxis and ride-sharing services. This comes on days after it was revealed that SPAD is preparing a proposal to amend the Land Public Transport Act 2010 to allow it to regulate ride-sharing apps like Uber and GrabCar.
At the moment, it looks like SPAD has not entirely made up its mind on what to do about Uber and GrabCar. While there is mounting pressure from taxi driver associations to ban the services, SPAD has been taking its time to address the situation. The reason that SPAD is impounding ride-sharing cars is because they do not possess the proper license to operate in a taxi-like manner. The Commission has constantly re-iterated its stand that Uber and GrabCar drivers are welcome to drive for their respective services, as long as they comply with local regulations.
This survey indicates that SPAD’s impending proposal is not yet set in stone, and that the Commission is looking at the problem from more than one angle. A SPAD spokesman told The Star newspaper that the survey was a “reality check”.
“We want feedback, as we gear to introduce the way forward,” she said.
As far as positive moves go, this is a pretty decent idea from SPAD. It is not often that the public’s opinion is solicited like this, and hopefully it will have more than a minor impact on future decisions about the legality of ride-sharing apps.
Click here to participate in the survey and tell the government what you think about taxis and ride-sharing apps.
