LTA looking at level playing field for ride-hailing and taxi market

Singapore

RIDE-HAILING players in Singapore may soon find themselves regulated as transport companies rather than tech upstarts under new proposals by the Land Transport Authority (LTA).

On Thursday, LTA launched a public consultation proposing that all street-hail and ride-hailing operators should be licensed.

The smallest ride-hailing operators will be exempted from the licence, while larger ones will be subject to more regulatory requirements.

The move could level the playing field between ride-hailing firms and incumbent taxi operators. But until more details emerge, it remains to be seen which side will gain the upper hand.

"We haven't seen whether the requirements for a large ride-hailing operator could be similar, more, or less onerous than the taxi operators," said transport economist Walter Theseira, a…