Regulations needed to keep private-hire car firms honest

As many as 50,000 private-hire cars ply Singapore's roads, and 50,000 more provide car-pooling services. However, unlike taxi operators, the private-hire firms do not have to own or be accountable for their fleets. There is no cap to their fleet size
As many as 50,000 private-hire cars ply Singapore's roads, and 50,000 more provide car-pooling services. However, unlike taxi operators, the private-hire firms do not have to own or be accountable for their fleets. There is no cap to their fleet size, and the vehicles are also not subject to a statutory lifespan or six-monthly inspections. ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
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The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) has imposed a suite of interim measures on Grab as it investigates its acquisition of rival Uber.

The list of measures starts with this one: "Grab is required to maintain its pre-merger pricing and product options for riders and drivers. This means maintaining base fare levels, surge factor and driver commission rates as they were prior to March 26, 2018, the date of the merger announcement."

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on May 10, 2018, with the headline Regulations needed to keep private-hire car firms honest. Subscribe