s 2 Interpretation
2. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires — “bookable vehicle” means any of the following vehicles used or intended to be used in providing an on‑demand passenger transport service through a booking taken or facilitated by a provider of a ride‑hail service: ( 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; “booking”, in relation to a ride‑hail service, means a booking for a bookable vehicle to be used in providing an on‑demand passenger transport service taken or facilitated by the provider of the ride‑hail service; “bus” means any motor vehicle registered as a bus under the Road Traffic Act 1961; “bus fare” means the price payable by a passenger for any bus service involving the carriage of the passenger on a bus; “bus operator”, in relation to a bus service, means the person who operates the bus service but does not include — ( a ) the Land Transport Authority of Singapore; or ( b ) a person who merely arranges for the registration of a bus, drives a bus, or maintains or arranges for the maintenance of a bus; “bus service” means a service for the carriage of passengers for a fare by buses on roads for journeys wholly or partly within Singapore according to predetermined routes and timetables with 2 or more bus stopping points within Singapore, but does not include a bus service excluded from this definition by the Minister by order in the Gazette ; “bus service licence” means a licence granted (or deemed granted) under the Bus Services Industry Act 2015 to operate one or more bus services; “Chairperson” means the Chairperson of the Council and includes any temporary Chairperson of the Council; “Chief Executive” means the Chief Executive of the Council, and includes any individual acting in that capacity; “clearing”, in relation to a ticket payment service, means any arrangement, process, mechanism or facility provided by a person in respect of ticket transactions, by which — ( a ) information relating to the terms of those transactions are verified by such person with a view to confirming the authenticity of those transactions; or ( b ) the amount payable to the parties under those transactions is calculated and verified; “Council” means the Public Transport Council established under section 3; “fare” means — ( a ) any bus fare; ( b ) any train fare; ( c ) any ride-hail fare; or ( d ) any street-hail fare; “invalid ticket” means a ticket that is for a journey on a bus or train operated by a public bus operator or licensed rapid transit system operator for which a ticket is required and — ( a ) that is used, or attempted to be used — (i) for a journey that is not the journey for which the ticket was issued; (ii) to over-travel the fare that was paid for the journey, without reasonable excuse; or (iii) by a person who is not the first user of a ticket which is non-transferable; ( b ) that has been altered or defaced; ( c ) that is counterfeit; or ( d ) that is expired; “Land Transport Authority of Singapore” or “LTA” means the public authority of that name constituted under the Land Transport Authority of Singapore Act 1995; “licensed” means — ( a ) licensed under the Bus Services Industry Act 2015 in the case of a bus operator; ( b ) licensed under the Rapid Transit Systems Act 1995 in the case of an operator of a rapid transit system; ( c ) licensed under the Road Traffic Act 1961 in the case of a taxi driver; or ( d ) licensed under the Point-to-Point Passenger Transport Industry Act 2019 in the case of a provider of a ride‑hail service provided using bookable vehicles, or a street‑hail service; “licensee” means a person to whom any licence has been granted under this Act; “limited liability partnership” has the meaning given by section 4(1) of the Limited Liability Partnerships Act 2005; “manager” — ( a ) in relation to a company, means the principal executive officer of the company for the time being by whatever name called and whether or not he or she is a director of the company; and ( b ) in relation to a limited liability partnership, has the meaning given by section 2(1) of the Limited Liability Partnerships Act 2005; “on-demand passenger transport service” and “on-demand ride booking service” have the meanings given by the Point‑to‑Point Passenger Transport Industry Act 2019; “over-travel”, in relation to a fare, means to remain on a bus or train after the place, distance or time covered by the fare paid for the journey has been reached and includes, for a smartcard ticket, tapping out before the completion of the journey or part of the journey; “paid area” means — ( a ) any platform of a railway station that is part of a rapid transit system; and ( b ) any area between such a platform and any ticket barrier access or ticket validating machine past which access is gained to the platform; “passenger” means an individual carried upon a bus, train, taxi or bookable vehicle (as the case may be) but does not include — ( a ) an owner, a driver or fare collector of a bus, train, taxi or bookable vehicle while carrying out work or on duty in that capacity; or ( b ) a public transport official while carrying out work or on duty in that capacity; “penalty fee” means the penalty fee referred to in section 53; “price”, in relation to any fare, includes — ( a ) the amount of any rate, fee, levy and charge and any other valuable consideration (however described) for a journey by bus, train, taxi or bookable vehicle (as the case may be), whether or not it is paid or given to an operator of a bus service or train service, a provider of a street‑hail service or ride‑hail service or a driver of a bus, train, taxi or bookable vehicle; ( b ) the provision of, or arrangements for, a discount, concession, allowance, rebate or credit applying in relation to any amount in paragraph ( a ); and ( c ) in the case of a ride-hail fare, includes the amount of a booking fee, but does not include a consideration of a kind prescribed by the Minister by order in the Gazette for the purposes of this definition; “pricing policy” means the policy for setting any fare, including a policy relating to the level or structure of prices for any fare; “public authority” means a body established or constituted by or under a public Act to perform or discharge a public function; “public bus operator” means a licensed bus operator who is party to a public bus services contract for the provision of bus services specified in that contract, and includes a licensed bus operator holding a Class 1 bus service licence but is not party to such a contract; “public bus services contract” has the meaning given by the Bus Services Industry Act 2015; “public service vehicle” has the meaning given by the Road Traffic Act 1961; “Public Transport Fund” means the fund of that name established under Part 4; “public transport official” means an individual appointed by the Council as a public transport official under section 51; “rapid transit system” has the meaning given by the Rapid Transit Systems Act 1995; “ride-hail common pricing scheme” means a contract made between the prescribed ride‑hail industry participants providing a ride‑hail service that provides — ( a ) for a common price or price structure for a fare component in relation to that ride‑hail service; and ( b ) for periodic reviews of that common price or price structure, and includes any variation of that contract; “ride-hail fare” means the price paid or given for the use of a ride‑hail service, whether or not it is paid or given to the provider of the ride‑hail service, a driver or any other person, and includes a booking fee; “ride-hail industry participant”, for a type of ride‑hail service, means any of the following: ( a ) a ride-hail service licensee authorised to provide that type of ride‑hail service; ( b ) any person or class of persons prescribed for the purposes of this definition either generally, or with respect to that particular type of ride‑hail service; “ride-hail service” means — ( a ) an on-demand passenger transport service of any type provided using bookable vehicles; or ( b ) an on-demand ride booking service of any type provided using bookable vehicles; “ride-hail service licensee” means a person to whom a ride-hail service licence to provide a ride-hail service is granted (on renewal or otherwise) or deemed granted under the Point‑to‑Point Passenger Transport Industry Act 2019; “smartcard reader” means a device or combination of devices that is capable of electronically reading, recording and processing information from a ticket that is a smartcard, and copying or transferring information from the smartcard and storing and displaying the information in legible form; “street-hail common pricing scheme” means a contract made between the prescribed street‑hail industry participants providing a street‑hail service that provides — ( a ) for a common price or price structure for a fare component in relation to that street‑hail service; and ( b ) for periodic reviews of that common price or price structure, and includes any variation of that contract; “street-hail fare” means the price paid or given for the use of a street‑hail service, whether or not it is paid or given to the provider of the street‑hail service, a driver or any other person, but does not include any booking fee for a taxi made available, or to be made available, in providing on‑demand passenger transport services; “street-hail industry participant” means any of the following: ( a ) a street-hail service licensee; ( b ) a taxi driver licensed under the Road Traffic Act 1961 to drive a taxi not owned by a street‑hail service licensee; ( c ) any person or class of persons prescribed for the purposes of this definition either generally, or with respect to a class of street‑hail service; “street-hail service” means a service involving the transport by road of passengers within, or partly within, Singapore for hire or reward — ( a ) provided using motor vehicles which are taxis; 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 the Point‑to‑Point Passenger Transport Industry Act 2019 or the Road Traffic Act 1961 to stand or ply for hire on a road; “street-hail service licensee” means a person to whom a street‑hail service licence to provide a street‑hail service is granted (on renewal or otherwise) or deemed granted under the Point‑to‑Point Passenger Transport Industry Act 2019; “tap in”, where payment of a fare is made using a smartcard, means to present a smartcard ticket to a smartcard reader on starting a journey, or part of a journey, resulting in a response from the smartcard reader that the transaction is successful; “tapping out”, where payment of a fare is made using a smartcard, means to present a smartcard ticket to a smartcard reader on completing a journey, or part of a journey, resulting in a response from the smartcard reader that the transaction is successful; “taxi” means any public service vehicle which is classified as a taxi under the Second Schedule to the Road Traffic Act 1961; “ticket” means any form of authorisation, issued for the conveyance of any passenger on a rapid transit system or on any bus operated by a public bus operator, or both; “ticket payment service” means — ( a ) a service for — (i) the clearing of any ticket transaction; or (ii) the sale, topping-up, replacement or refund, or the management of the use, of a mode of payment for tickets; or ( b ) any other services that the Council may, by order in the Gazette , prescribe; “ticket payment service licence” means a licence granted under Part 5; “ticket transaction” means any record of a fare deduction created by the use of a mode of payment for tickets; “train” means a train used as part of a rapid transit system the operation of which is licensed under the Rapid Transit Systems Act 1995; “train fare” means the price payable by a passenger for any service involving the carriage of the passenger on a train operated by a licensed rapid transit system operator; “train service” means the service for the transport of passengers by one or more trains on a rapid transit system within Singapore for a fare. [30/2015; 31/2015; 5/2018; 20/2019]