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Your Views: Exempt private hire cars from child seat requirement

This article is more than 12 months old

Private hire cars, much like taxis, essentially offer point-to-point transportation services for commuters.

Such services are especially important for families with young children, who appreciate the convenience of having transportation in times of need.

The National Private Hire Vehicles Association (NPHVA) urges the authorities to review the rule of mandatory child booster seats or restraints that are currently applicable to private hire cars ("No Grab or Uber for those with young kids", The New Paper, Jan 26).

When commuters are denied the service by law-abiding private hire car drivers, it creates unhappiness and inconvenience for the commuters.

This unhappiness may result in drivers receiving poor feedback from the commuters, and in some extreme cases, drivers have been threatened with violence, thereby putting their safety at risk.

Private hire car drivers also incur costs to travel to the designated pick-up points upon accepting a booking by commuters travelling with young children.

On arrival, the drivers face disappointment as they realise that they are unable to provide the service and collect the agreed fare. Such factors impact the viability of drivers' incomes and careers.

The NPHVA has been in talks with the Land Transport Authority to seek exemptions of this rule to be applied to the private hire car segment.

We hope due consideration can be made to enable families with young children to travel conveniently with all available point-to-point transportation services, while balancing the safety considerations pertaining to young children travelling in such vehicles.

The NPHVA also feels that private hire car service operators, such as limousine companies and third-party ride-sharing app companies, can do more to educate both drivers and commuters on the current rules and the types of services available, so that commuters can request and book the right service for their appropriate needs.


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