Cap on Number of Hours Spent on the Road by Private Hire Car or Taxi Drivers
Ministry of TransportSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye’s inquiry on limiting consecutive driving hours for taxi and private hire car drivers and utilizing technology to monitor fatigue. Senior Minister of State Chee Hong Tat responded that the Ministry does not set regulatory limits as working hours are personal decisions, preferring to promote safe driving cultures. Tripartite guidelines recommend that drivers limit shifts to 12 hours and take breaks every two hours, with these practices reinforced during vocational license training. Operators utilize mobile applications and driver assistance technology to remind drivers to rest and monitor for signs of fatigue to ensure road safety. The Government continues to work with tripartite partners to implement these non-regulatory fatigue management practices rather than imposing mandatory time caps.
Transcript
43 Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye asked the Minister for Transport (a) whether the Ministry can consider imposing a limit on the number of hours that a private hire car driver or a taxi driver can drive consecutively; and (b) with the current maturity of driver assistance technology, whether the Ministry will work with taxi fleet operators and private hire car platforms to install technologies to monitor and be alerted if a driver is too tired to drive.
Mr Chee Hong Tat (for the Minister for Transport): We do not set a regulatory limit on the number of hours a taxi or private hire car driver can work continuously, as this is a personal decision for drivers to make. Instead, we work with tripartite partners to reinforce a culture of safe driving and promote good practices to prevent driver fatigue.
The Tripartite Workplace Safety and Health Council has a set of Guidelines on Fatigue Management which encourage drivers, including taxi and private hire car drivers, to limit their shifts to no more than 12 hours. All taxi and ride-hail platform operators provide guidelines for drivers to have sufficient rest and remind them through the taxi's Mobile Data Terminal or the ride-hail mobile application to take breaks after long shifts. Some operators have also deployed various forms of driver assistance technology and anti-fatigue system to promote safe driving.
All taxi and private hire car drivers undergo training on occupational health hazards as part of their Vocational Licence courses, during which they are recommended to take short breaks after every two hours of driving.