Installation of Passenger Safety Features for Taxis and Private Hire Cars

Dr Chia Shi-Lu asked the Minister for Transport (a) whether all taxis are equipped with airbags, particularly for the front seats; (b) if not, which taxi companies have not done so; and (c) whether the Ministry intends to make the installation mandatory in line with international road safety standards.

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Mr Ang Hin Kee asked the Minister for Transport whether the Ministry will consider making it mandatory for all vehicles which provide hire and reward services to be installed with safety devices and safety features to avoid incidents that compromise road safety for their passengers and road users.

The Second Minister for Transport (Mr Ng Chee Meng) (for the Minister for Transport): Mdm Speaker, may I take Question Nos 8 and 9 together?

Mdm Speaker: Yes, please.

Mr Ng Chee Meng: We impose the same safety requirements on taxis and private hire cars as on private cars. Seat belts for the driver, and front and back seat passengers are mandatory. However, we have not made airbags mandatory, as they are generally considered by the industry to be a supporting feature to supplement seat belts. If seat belts are used properly, the injury risks to passengers are already greatly reduced. There is no international agreement on norms on the installation of airbags.

Nevertheless, all the taxi companies in Singapore have taken the initiative to procure taxis with airbags when expanding or renewing their fleet. Today, about 70% of all taxis in Singapore are equipped with airbags, compared to about 23% five years ago.

Mr Ang Hin Kee (Ang Mo Kio): Thank you Minister for the update. There are also privately-leased cars in the market today that are being used for private hire purposes. For new fleets that are coming on board, how would the Ministry ensure that they will also install similar, whether it be airbags or other features that enhance safety. And in the implementation process, how do you balance the cost issue versus the safety issue, so that the cost will not be passed on to the commuters or the drivers who lease the vehicle in a manner that makes it impractical for them to do so?

Mr Ng Chee Meng: When operators renew or expand their fleet, new cars usually come with airbags. This cost is already incorporated into the price of a car and, therefore, it is a part of the business cost.

When we talk about retrofitting airbags into existing cars, then that is a different proposition as that comes with more technical and cost challenges. We should allow time to take its natural course so that old cars in our system will eventually be phased out and all new cars will have airbags.

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