§ 19 — Grant of ride‑hail service licence

19.—(1) After considering any application under section 18 for or to renew a ride‑hail service licence, the LTA may —(a)

on payment of —(i)

the applicable licence fee (if prescribed), grant the applicant a licence authorising the applicant to provide a ride‑hail service; or

(ii)

a renewal fee or late renewal fee (if prescribed), renew the licence; or

(b)

refuse to grant or renew the ride‑hail service licence, as the case may be.

(2) In deciding whether an applicant should be granted a ride‑hail service licence, or the applicant’s ride‑hail service licence should be renewed, and the conditions to impose or modify, the LTA must have regard, and give such weight as the LTA considers appropriate, to all of the following matters:(a)

whether the applicant is or is not —(i)

intending to provide any other point‑to‑point passenger transport services;

(ii)

a holder of another ride‑hail service licence or a street‑hail service licence; or

(iii)

an exempt ride‑hail service operator;

(b)

whether the applicant does or does not have (or is likely or unlikely to have) the financial capacity and ability to provide the ride‑hail service in the application safely and efficiently;

(c)

the applicant’s capacity to deliver the ride‑hail service in the application according to the applicable codes of practice;

(d)

the demand for the ride‑hail service in the application;

(e)

whether the applicant is a corporation, partnership or limited liability partnership, or an unincorporated association;

(f)

whether the applicant and where necessary, whether every officer of the applicant is a suitable person to be involved in the management of providing the ride‑hail service in the application;

(g)

whether the applicant has nominated or will nominate at least one individual who satisfies the prescribed qualifications as a representative if a licence is granted;

(h)

whether it is otherwise contrary to the public interest for the ride‑hail service licence to be granted to the applicant.

(3) For the purpose of determining whether or not a person or an individual referred to in subsection (2)(f) is a suitable person to be involved in the management of providing a ride‑hail service, the LTA must have regard, and give such weight as the LTA considers appropriate, to all of the following matters:(a)

the person’s or individual’s relevant knowledge, competency and experience in matters connected with providing a ride‑hail service;

(b)

any evidence of the exercise of any power under section 35 —(i)

in relation to the person or individual for committing an offence under this Act, or for contravening any direction given under this Act; or

(ii)

in relation to a licensee holding, or a former licensee which held, a ride‑hail service licence of which the individual is or was an officer when the power was exercised;

(c)

any evidence of non‑compliance with, or revocation of, an exempt ride‑hail operator order in relation to an exempt ride‑hail service operator or a former exempt ride‑hail service operator (as the case may be) of which the individual is or was an officer when the power was exercised;

(d)

any evidence of the exercise of any power —(i)

under section 111H of the Road Traffic Act 1961 (as in force before 30 October 2020) in relation to a person holding a taxi service operator licence of which the individual is or was an officer when that power was exercised; or

(ii)

under section 20 of the Third‑Party Taxi Booking Service Providers Act 2015 in relation to a person registered under that Act of which the individual is or was an officer when that power was exercised;

(e)

any prior conviction for committing (whether before, on or after 29 May 2020) any of the following offences:(i)

an offence under Part 5 of the Road Traffic Act 1961 (or any rules made under that Part) in relation to taxis, private hire cars, private hire car booking service operators or taxi service operators;

(ii)

an offence under Part VA of the Road Traffic Act 1961 (or any rules made under that Part) in relation to taxis or taxi service operators as in force before 30 October 2020;

(iii)

an offence under the Public Transport Council Act 1987 in relation to taxis;

(iv)

an offence under the Third‑Party Taxi Booking Service Providers Act 2015;

(v)

any other offence involving fraud or dishonesty, whether or not the conviction was in a Singapore court;

(vi)

an offence under this Act;

(vii)

any relevant offence under any written law;

(f)

any previous occasion where the person or individual accepted any composition sum offered under any written law for an offence mentioned in paragraph (e);

(g)

the person’s or individual’s present or previous involvement, or proposed involvement, in the public transport system in Singapore.

(4) To avoid doubt, the LTA is not confined to consideration of the matters specified in subsections (2) and (3) and may take into account such other matters and evidence as may be relevant.

(5) Without affecting subsection (1), the LTA may grant a renewal of a ride‑hail service licence (of any class) with or without modifying the conditions of the licence, but section 22(2), (3) and (4) does not apply to or in relation to granting a renewal of a ride‑hail service licence with modifications to the conditions of the licence.

(6) The LTA may subdivide any class of ride‑hail service licence it grants under this section into subclasses, such as according to any of the following, and may grant the licence accordingly:(a)

the construction or type of bookable vehicle driven or intended to be driven in carrying out the on‑demand passenger transport services to which the ride‑hail service authorised by the licence relates;

(b)

the type of ride‑hail service;

(c)

the number of motor vehicles driven or intended to be driven in carrying out the on‑demand passenger transport services to which the ride‑hail service authorised by the licence relates;

(d)

the number of participating bookable drivers made available in providing the on‑demand passenger transport services to which the ride‑hail service authorised by the licence relates.

—(1) After considering any application under section 18 for or to renew a ride‑hail service licence, the LTA may —(a)

on payment of —(i)

the applicable licence fee (if prescribed), grant the applicant a licence authorising the applicant to provide a ride‑hail service; or

(ii)

a renewal fee or late renewal fee (if prescribed), renew the licence; or

(b)

refuse to grant or renew the ride‑hail service licence, as the case may be.

(2) In deciding whether an applicant should be granted a ride‑hail service licence, or the applicant’s ride‑hail service licence should be renewed, and the conditions to impose or modify, the LTA must have regard, and give such weight as the LTA considers appropriate, to all of the following matters:(a)

whether the applicant is or is not —(i)

intending to provide any other point‑to‑point passenger transport services;

(ii)

a holder of another ride‑hail service licence or a street‑hail service licence; or

(iii)

an exempt ride‑hail service operator;

(b)

whether the applicant does or does not have (or is likely or unlikely to have) the financial capacity and ability to provide the ride‑hail service in the application safely and efficiently;

(c)

the applicant’s capacity to deliver the ride‑hail service in the application according to the applicable codes of practice;

(d)

the demand for the ride‑hail service in the application;

(e)

whether the applicant is a corporation, partnership or limited liability partnership, or an unincorporated association;

(f)

whether the applicant and where necessary, whether every officer of the applicant is a suitable person to be involved in the management of providing the ride‑hail service in the application;

(g)

whether the applicant has nominated or will nominate at least one individual who satisfies the prescribed qualifications as a representative if a licence is granted;

(h)

whether it is otherwise contrary to the public interest for the ride‑hail service licence to be granted to the applicant.

(3) For the purpose of determining whether or not a person or an individual referred to in subsection (2)(f) is a suitable person to be involved in the management of providing a ride‑hail service, the LTA must have regard, and give such weight as the LTA considers appropriate, to all of the following matters:(a)

the person’s or individual’s relevant knowledge, competency and experience in matters connected with providing a ride‑hail service;

(b)

any evidence of the exercise of any power under section 35 —(i)

in relation to the person or individual for committing an offence under this Act, or for contravening any direction given under this Act; or

(ii)

in relation to a licensee holding, or a former licensee which held, a ride‑hail service licence of which the individual is or was an officer when the power was exercised;

(c)

any evidence of non‑compliance with, or revocation of, an exempt ride‑hail operator order in relation to an exempt ride‑hail service operator or a former exempt ride‑hail service operator (as the case may be) of which the individual is or was an officer when the power was exercised;

(d)

any evidence of the exercise of any power —(i)

under section 111H of the Road Traffic Act 1961 (as in force before 30 October 2020) in relation to a person holding a taxi service operator licence of which the individual is or was an officer when that power was exercised; or

(ii)

under section 20 of the Third‑Party Taxi Booking Service Providers Act 2015 in relation to a person registered under that Act of which the individual is or was an officer when that power was exercised;

(e)

any prior conviction for committing (whether before, on or after 29 May 2020) any of the following offences:(i)

an offence under Part 5 of the Road Traffic Act 1961 (or any rules made under that Part) in relation to taxis, private hire cars, private hire car booking service operators or taxi service operators;

(ii)

an offence under Part VA of the Road Traffic Act 1961 (or any rules made under that Part) in relation to taxis or taxi service operators as in force before 30 October 2020;

(iii)

an offence under the Public Transport Council Act 1987 in relation to taxis;

(iv)

an offence under the Third‑Party Taxi Booking Service Providers Act 2015;

(v)

any other offence involving fraud or dishonesty, whether or not the conviction was in a Singapore court;

(vi)

an offence under this Act;

(vii)

any relevant offence under any written law;

(f)

any previous occasion where the person or individual accepted any composition sum offered under any written law for an offence mentioned in paragraph (e);

(g)

the person’s or individual’s present or previous involvement, or proposed involvement, in the public transport system in Singapore.

(4) To avoid doubt, the LTA is not confined to consideration of the matters specified in subsections (2) and (3) and may take into account such other matters and evidence as may be relevant.

(5) Without affecting subsection (1), the LTA may grant a renewal of a ride‑hail service licence (of any class) with or without modifying the conditions of the licence, but section 22(2), (3) and (4) does not apply to or in relation to granting a renewal of a ride‑hail service licence with modifications to the conditions of the licence.

(6) The LTA may subdivide any class of ride‑hail service licence it grants under this section into subclasses, such as according to any of the following, and may grant the licence accordingly:(a)

the construction or type of bookable vehicle driven or intended to be driven in carrying out the on‑demand passenger transport services to which the ride‑hail service authorised by the licence relates;

(b)

the type of ride‑hail service;

(c)

the number of motor vehicles driven or intended to be driven in carrying out the on‑demand passenger transport services to which the ride‑hail service authorised by the licence relates;

(d)

the number of participating bookable drivers made available in providing the on‑demand passenger transport services to which the ride‑hail service authorised by the licence relates.