While owning a car in Singapore can be helpful in a way that it makes going to different places anytime you want truly feasible, we still have to admit the fact that it is a high maintenance property. And this creates a notion of it being a depreciating asset, provided that the country where you live in has a high cost of living. In order to deal with the ever-rising costs of cars in Singapore, one needs to come across with an excellent idea, instead of just letting your car sit at the parking area. By this, driving for Grab is a smart alternative, whereas your car can have the potential to cover its own expenditure, not to mention that it can also give you side income whenever a passengers book a ride.
Before you hit the road to search for possible passengers, take in mind that you need to undergo a process so you can legally drive under the car service platform of Grab. Before going on, the keep in mind the minimum qualifications set by Grab, including having the age of at least 21 years, a Singaporean with valid PDVL/TDVL, acquiring 2 years minimum of driving experience, and of course, owning a 4-door car.
For interested individuals, here is a comprehensive checklist and tips that you may want to keep as a guide.
Step 1: Get your PDVL or TDVL
This is more of a requirement than a tip. Starting on 1 July 2017, every driver who wishes to drive under the platform car service of Grab needs to have a Private Hire Driver Vocational License (PDVL) or Taxi Driver Vocational License (which is obviously for taxi drivers). Among these two, note that getting TDVL is harder than acquiring PDVL.
Take into consideration that you can’t get a PDVL for free for one need to pay for a medical check-up, PDVL classes, and tests. The good thing is, this can be covered by Grab insurance.
Step 2: Prepare your vehicle
Once you’re done with taking PDVL test and finally has your new PDVL on hand, the next step is to prepare your vehicle. By this, we mean:
– Converting your car. Take in mind that the vehicle you’re going to use for private-hire purposes needs to be converted to Z10/Z11 classification. Z10 is usually for sedans while Z11 is for automobiles like SUVs and MPVs.
– Purchasing commercial vehicle insurance. While you can have the option to rent a car via Grab partners which includes features like commercial auto insurance, using your own vehicle and securing your hold of commercial car insurance is still the smart choice.
Step 3: Activation process
Good news: activation process is free! In this point, secure the necessary documents in order to complete the process and be able to drive under Grab. With this, here is a list of requirements that need to be presented to the GrabCar office:
– NRIC
– Driving License
– Proof of commercial car insurance
– Z10 /Z11 Vehicle log
– Bank details, such as name, account number, and branch code
– Private Hire Car Driver’s Vocational License (PDVL)
Step 4: Familiarize yourself with the Grab app and roads
You can never consider yourself a true master amongst private-hire drivers unless you learn the art of familiarizing yourself with the Grab app, as well as mastering the directions to different destinations; instead of merely relying on the apps. While GPS can be of absolute help when it comes to navigation, being aware of the safe spots where you can pick up and drop off your passengers is still the best.
Once you have completed all these, you can congratulate yourself as you are now a Grab driver!
Should you need help to quote and compare among several car insurance companies in Singapore, Autoshield is just a call or text away! You may either reach us via our customer service hotline 6385 0777 or send us SMS to 8588 1688, 8588 9191, 8686 9991, 8688 9991, 8588 9991, 8866 9991, 8868 9991, 8668 9991.
