S'pore to regulate taxi booking apps
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SINGAPORE (AFP) - Singapore on Friday announced new rules for mobile taxi booking apps, including US-based Uber, in the latest move by governments around the world to regulate the increasingly popular services.
Taxi-booking and ride-sharing apps like Uber, Hailo and Lyft have spread rapidly in recent years, drawing protests from cabbies in cities from London to San Francisco who say it has led to soaring competition from unlicensed drivers.
Singapore's Land Transport Authority said the apps will have to apply for a three-yearly "certificate of registration" starting from the second quarter of next year.
"Third-party taxi booking services facilitate more efficient matching of taxis with commuters and have become increasingly popular," the LTA said, adding the new rules are designed to "safeguard commuter safety and interests".
