Trans-Cab, Geolah to offer ride-hailing services next year

They join five existing platforms; one-year provisional licences take effect on Jan 1

- Lee Nian Tjoe

Passengers will have two more ride-hailing operators to choose from in 2025, with the award of two provisional licences to Trans-Cab and Geolah by the Land Transport Authority (LTA).

Trans-Cab has the third-largest taxi fleet in Singapore with 2,079 vehicles, while Geolah currently offers limousine bookings and parcel delivery via an app.

The addition of the two new operators to the market does not necessarily mean that there would be more private-hire cars or drivers on the road, which could directly impact fares that consumers will pay for rides.

Trans-Cab and Geolah join five existing ride-hailing platforms Grab, Ryde, Tada, Gojek and Zig which had their licences to operate revalidated for three years, LTA said in a statement on Dec 23. The new licence period starts on Jan 1.

The one-year provisional licences for Trans-Cab and Geolah will enable them to fine-tune their operational capabilities to meet LTA's regulatory standards for safety and service provisions, the authority said in the statement, which also covered other point-to-point transportation matters.

On the taxi front, those looking to become cabbies will be able to do so more quickly and spend less on the vocational training, under an updated training and licensing process. The revision takes effect on Feb 24.

LTA said this is to encourage drivers to consider taxi driving.

It will take 12 hours for a person to complete the training to drive a taxi, down from the current 16 hours.