PDVL/TDVL License holder

[Yewheng]

23 hours ago, Goldenvodka said:

Anyone holding a TDVL or PDVL.

Have some questions here.

I obtained my TDVL back in January drove Taxi share for a month and earned about 1500+ in profit. 

The following month, I am employed full time and never perform any driving since.

Here are the questions.

1) In-active license will kena kantong or not. 

2) My grab driver app is prompting me to make at least 1 trip every 6 months if not it will kena suspend. Anyone experience it before?

If suspend already in the future want to activate back, troublesome? If troublesome, I might just go and take a short 3hour rental and pick up at least 1 passenger. from Grab

3) IRAS need to declare the part time $1500 made from temp taxi driving?

 

Now economy very bad. I intend to keep my taxi license in any case get retrenched or what in the future 😞

Once you have your pdvl or tdvl, it's forever. Just need to renew every 3 yrs. You will receive LTA letter it's time for renewal when your 3 yrs is nearing. The letter will have instructions on what is needed for renewal and whether you need to go attend 1 day refresher course. Forget at what age onwards then renewal is every year as need to pass the medical check-up. If you say did not renew the license, then you will have to go through the whole process to take and pass the test to get pdvl or tdvl.

 

For grab driver app message prompt. It is just solely for grab only, nothing to do with LTA or your vocational license. Aka if you never drive grab for at least 6 months. Then your account with grab will be suspended and if you want to drive grab again, then you will need to go through the whole process of applying to drive grab. Grab suspend your driver account does not mean your vocational license is suspended, your vocational license is still there and you are free to apply for all other platform to drive too.

Edited July 28, 2021 by Yewheng

[Acewin]

@Atrecord  After your spending $$$ getting your vocational license if the petrol company just decided to cease the vocational license discount then bang liao.

Do think twice before spending to get the license if you do not intend to drive.

My 2 cents thought. 

Edited July 28, 2021 by Acewin

[Goldenvodka]

1 hour ago, Acewin said:

@Atrecord  After your spending $$$ getting your vocational license if the petrol company just decided to cease the vocational license discount then bang liao.

Do think twice before spending to get the license if you do not intend to drive.

My 2 cents thought. 

This uncertain times. Have a TDVL or PDVL can safe guard your Rice bowl.

At least if kena retrenched. Can take own sweet time to find a new suitable job. No stress to family too, no need to eat too much into savings.

 

Looks like I need to and go rent ad-hoc taxi share rental for 3 hours to keep my grab account active.

 

Edited July 28, 2021 by Goldenvodka

[Inlinefour]

Raffles Medical got medical screening for both TD and PD VL 

[winsor]

5 hours ago, Yewheng said:

Once you have your pdvl or tdvl, it's forever. Just need to renew every 3 yrs. You will receive LTA letter it's time for renewal when your 3 yrs is nearing. The letter will have instructions on what is needed for renewal and whether you need to go attend 1 day refresher course. Forget at what age onwards then renewal is every year as need to pass the medical check-up. If you say did not renew the license, then you will have to go through the whole process to take and pass the test to get pdvl or tdvl.

 

For grab driver app message prompt. It is just solely for grab only, nothing to do with LTA or your vocational license. Aka if you never drive grab for at least 6 months. Then your account with grab will be suspended and if you want to drive grab again, then you will need to go through the whole process of applying to drive grab. Grab suspend your driver account does not mean your vocational license is suspended, your vocational license is still there and you are free to apply for all other platform to drive too.

not really said forever. u are subjected to vocational licence demerit points. 

[Yewheng]

13 minutes ago, winsor said:

not really said forever. u are subjected to vocational licence demerit points. 

Oh ya.. but then majority of private hire drivers and taxis all obay law one.. so that one is not a problem.. only those who do not obay then of coz this is an issue.

 

Ya thanks for pointing this out. The vocational license demerit point..

 

Edited July 28, 2021 by Yewheng

[Atrecord]

17 hours ago, Acewin said:

@Atrecord  After your spending $$$ getting your vocational license if the petrol company just decided to cease the vocational license discount then bang liao.

Do think twice before spending to get the license if you do not intend to drive.

My 2 cents thought. 

yup, understand that. so it's maybe down to whether it's worth the while to get the pvdl or not, factoring in the risk...

anyone has any advice on the ballpark figure to spend on getting a pvdl, minus off what can be claimed from skills future?

[Mkl22]

29 minutes ago, Atrecord said:

yup, understand that. so it's maybe down to whether it's worth the while to get the pvdl or not, factoring in the risk...

anyone has any advice on the ballpark figure to spend on getting a pvdl, minus off what can be claimed from skills future?

didn't @Goldenvodka post? looks like around $100 or so. you then work out how much extra discount you get and the approx amount you pump to figure out how many months to break even.

[RogerNg_185295]

12 hours ago, Yewheng said:

Oh ya.. but then majority of private hire drivers and taxis all obay law one.. so that one is not a problem.. only those who do not obay then of coz this is an issue.

 

Ya thanks for pointing this out. The vocational license demerit point..

 

Majority obey traffic  law...nope

[13177]

Just now, RogerNg_185295 said:

Majority obey traffic  law...nope

You can do anything you want but dont get caught la.

[winsor]

lta regsister $40

medical check $50

pdvl 

Course Fee $107.00 
Test Fee $10.70 + $5.35 per test paper
Training Materials $26.75
(1 copy of the textbook - Driving in Singapore / 1 set of Notes & Worksheets.)

Total Amount: $155.15*

 

(i think only course fee skill $107 future claimable)

 

link  https://www.taxi.org.sg/course-pdvl.html

[Kb27]

On 7/27/2021 at 9:41 PM, Atrecord said:

Thanks!

Any difference for PVDL huh? 

Taxi one like need to spend quite a bit leh... 😅

btw, these licenses (PVDL/TVDL) needs to renew every year one or not one huh?

PVDL is almost same as taxi. Need to go through LTA, pass health check, take lessons, pass 2 papers. TVDL need to pass 1 more paper.

Renew licence every 3 yrs, I think. I had to pass a 2nd health check recently.

For petrol discount, it varies.

SPC is straight 22% (?) just by showing the PVDL licence with a SPC sticker (which you apply), pay at cashier. Simplest to get discount.

Esso - (21 ~ 30%) with Gojek, must meet min driving trips, pay with DBS/POSB debit card, a bit complicated for me, then Gojek will rebate after. Not worth my time.

Caltex - 29% straight for Grab rental car, which I used regularly. Now pay by goCaltex app to get discount.

Sinopec - straight discount (22% ? ), but must show Grab app (be active driver) I think. But no Ron 92.

Shell - discount card with Grab, no Ron 92, which I don't bother. 

[Goldenvodka]

For TDVL, total cost is about max I give $120 to $150 cash inclusive of exam fees.

As for PDVL or TDVL,

I would suggest get TDVL, it cost about the same. Lesson also about same.

The only extra thing is the 3rd paper which is route test. IMHO this paper is easier than the other 2 paper

[13177]

58 minutes ago, Goldenvodka said:

For TDVL, total cost is about max I give $120 to $150 cash inclusive of exam fees.

As for PDVL or TDVL,

I would suggest get TDVL, it cost about the same. Lesson also about same.

The only extra thing is the 3rd paper which is route test. IMHO this paper is easier than the other 2 paper

Does it mean TDVL licence can drive both taxi and PHV?

[Goldenvodka]

6 minutes ago, 13177 said:

Does it mean TDVL licence can drive both taxi and PHV?

yes. Both taxi and PHV.

basically PDVL only can drive PHV but TVDL can drive both PHV and Taxi

 

[winsor]

 

10 hours ago, Goldenvodka said:

yes. Both taxi and PHV.

basically PDVL only can drive PHV but TVDL can drive both PHV and Taxi

 

 

My two cents.

As for Paper 3, route planning,  now the training move from 20 days full time / 40 night part time course to 16 hours lesson ( 2 days)

You can use your phone to check the route instead those olden days where you die die must training 40 routes even in your dreams.

My understanding is there are 3 centre for Taxi vocational

Comfort ( use onemap)

Singapore Taxi Academy STA (Waze)

NTUC learning hub. (?)

When i attend taxi vocational lesson  back in Oct 2020 at Singapore Taxi Academy My instructor told us, his record is 95% of his student pass paper 3 on first attempt.

So if route planning already made easier, the idea of getting taxi licence is a better choice then private hirer

 

 

 

[Goldenvodka]

1 hour ago, winsor said:

 

 

My two cents.

As for Paper 3, route planning,  now the training move from 20 days full time / 40 night part time course to 16 hours lesson ( 2 days)

You can use your phone to check the route instead those olden days where you die die must training 40 routes even in your dreams.

My understanding is there are 3 centre for Taxi vocational

Comfort ( use onemap)

Singapore Taxi Academy STA (Waze)

NTUC learning hub. (?)

When i attend taxi vocational lesson  back in Oct 2020 at Singapore Taxi Academy My instructor told us, his record is 95% of his student pass paper 3 on first attempt.

So if route planning already made easier, the idea of getting taxi licence is a better choice then private hirer

 

 

 

Yup. Can use phone and refer to google map but exam cannot blindly follow the GPS route cos sometimes its longer due to traffic conditions.

Use some common sense it will be easy

[Atrecord]

On 7/29/2021 at 4:44 PM, Kb27 said:

PVDL is almost same as taxi. Need to go through LTA, pass health check, take lessons, pass 2 papers. TVDL need to pass 1 more paper.

Renew licence every 3 yrs, I think. I had to pass a 2nd health check recently.

For petrol discount, it varies.

SPC is straight 22% (?) just by showing the PVDL licence with a SPC sticker (which you apply), pay at cashier. Simplest to get discount.

Esso - (21 ~ 30%) with Gojek, must meet min driving trips, pay with DBS/POSB debit card, a bit complicated for me, then Gojek will rebate after. Not worth my time.

Caltex - 29% straight for Grab rental car, which I used regularly. Now pay by goCaltex app to get discount.

Sinopec - straight discount (22% ? ), but must show Grab app (be active driver) I think. But no Ron 92.

Shell - discount card with Grab, no Ron 92, which I don't bother. 

Thanks - this is useful reference.

So if i summarise to see if i got it correct:

To get the PVDL/TVDL, need:

1. apply through LTA/License portal with softcopy photo - $40
2. wait ~2 weeks, LTA inform application approved, take letter go for Medical/chest x-ray - $50
3. sign up for coures - ~$200 but fully claimable from skillfuture
4. renewal of license every ~3 yr, ~$40.

So if the first/initial investment is ~$90, can last 3 years, then each year if petrol savings is ~$30, that will be worth it. 

if got 7% more discount, then if every month I pump $250, the savings would be $17.50 per month, and will be $210 per year.

Even if is only 3.5% additional discount, half of it will be ~$100 a year.

Looks like worth it right?

Anyone see any obvious error in my thoughts/calculations?

Of course, the fundamental thing is that the petrol companies must continue to offer the additional discounts, then this will be meaningful...