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SINGAPORE: Larger families may have to take more than one taxi if child seats are mandatory, Chief Parliamentary Secretary for Transport Baey Yam Keng told Parliament on Thursday (March 4).
“This can also create some unhappiness among families with multiple young children, because they will need multiple taxis as there may not be enough child seats in a single vehicle or a larger capacity taxi with multiple seats,” he said.
“So it means that families will incur higher costs and I don’t think it’s wise to impose this during the current economic situation.”
Mr. Baey was responding to a supplemental question from Rep. Louis Ng (PAP-Nee Soon) about why taxis are exempt from the requirement to have child seats for passengers less than 1.35m in height.
“For private vehicles, if your child is not in a car seat, he could go to jail for it. But somehow it seems strange to me that (in) the same car and model (that) now becomes a taxi, the safety considerations just disappear, “said Mr. Ng.
READ: Malaysia’s Drivers and E-Call Users Unsure on Jan 1 Mandatory Child Safety Seat Decision
The Land Transportation Authority (LTA) said in 2017 that taxis are exempt, as passengers can hail them on the street.
“Therefore, it would not be reasonable to expect them to be equipped with booster seats and child restraint systems at all times, or to reject passengers with infants or children,” the authority said at the time.
Baey said Thursday that it is important to “strike a good balance” in each policy, noting that the government reached its point of view after consulting with different stakeholders, including taxi drivers who have their own costs and operational considerations.
“Taxi operators highlighted the limitations because taxis must meet a trunk size requirement for luggage or things carried by passengers,” he said.
“And if you add the required booster seat, it can be challenging, especially for newer hybrid car models that tend to have a smaller boot.”
READ: 1 in 2 children in car accidents without proper restraint: KKH study
Baey acknowledged that there are now compact booster seats on the market, but said it is not feasible for taxis to be “fully equipped with different combinations of child restraint systems” to cater for children who may board the taxi.
“This current exemption will make it easier for taxis to offer hail services on the street for commuters with young children, because the nature of picking up pennants and exiting signs on the streets will slow down when the taxi driver needs to fix the booster seat when stopping. next to the road, “he said.
However, Baey said parents have the option of using private rental cars, which are not exempt from the requirement as they can be reserved in advance with booster seats for an additional fee.
Mr. Ng said that he believes that in the current context, parents with young children will not make calls on the street, but will reserve taxis in advance, as he tried to make his point clear.
“MOT (Ministry of Transport) will continue to monitor the situation,” Baey replied.
“While security is important, we really need to consider other implications as well, especially when it affects people’s livelihoods.
“One option that we could consider is maybe a travel type of trip, but we will continue to consult and work with the different stakeholders as we look at this area.”
LOW OCCUPATION OF CHILDREN’S SEATS IN SMRT TAXIS
Mr. Baey also gave an update on a six-month pilot program launched by SMRT in March last year to progressively equip its fleet of 2,800 taxis with booster seats for young children.
“Due to the ‘circuit breaker’ it was extended until December 2020,” he said, noting that SMRT equipped some 1,750 taxis with booster seats.
“However, the utilization rate for these seats was low, as there were very few requests for elevated seats from travelers.”
Mr. Baey said that these SMRT taxis will continue to have booster seats, and that SMRT will provide further updates on their use “soon”.
“If there are other taxi companies that are interested in conducting these types of pilots, LTA will be happy to consider it,” he added.
