Private cars to soon be allowed to join taxi fleets run by cab applications

Tanee Suebrerk, deputy director-general of DLT, chaired a meeting recently to hear opinions from government agencies, r academics, taxi operators, taxi-service providers and members of the public sector.

DLT explained that private car owners are being allowed to provide taxi services in a bid to meet a rise in demand as many people now prefer booking taxis via smart applications. Tanee pointed out that many taxi apps already allow private cars to provide taxi services, but under the new regulation, all private cars used for taxi services will have to be registered with the DLT to ensure safety of passengers.

According to the new regulation, private cars can carry no more than seven passengers, and only one car can be registered to a person. Owners have to provide details of their vehicle size and proof of employment by a taxi service provider. Every vehicle will be required to have communication equipment and clearly display a logo of the service. Drivers are required to dress properly and prices of services rendered need to be agreed upon and clearly displayed in the application. Only private vehicles certified by DLT can be used for this service.

At the meeting, however, taxi drivers said they found this regulation to be unfair, though service providers welcomed it saying it is compatible with people’s lifestyles as it offers greater convenience and safety.

Academics and government representatives also agree with the idea of alternative taxis, but said the law should set up a criteria for qualifications, responsibility and penalties for the service provider.

DLT has said it will collect all these comments and suggestions to revise the regulations before presenting it to the Transport Ministry for consideration.