Cabbies can drive till they are 75 years old: LTA

The age limit for taxi drivers will be raised from 73 to 75 beginning June, in a move which could benefit about 1,000 holders of vocational licence aged between 70 and 72 currently.

The Land Transport Authority's (LTA) decision, which was announced yesterday, follows a review of the current age limit and feedback from the National Taxi Association (NTA) and cab drivers.

About 350 holders of taxi drivers' vocational licences who turn 73 this year could be among the first to benefit, with more than 15,000 cabbies, who are currently in their 60s, to benefit from the change later on.

Currently, all taxi drivers who want to extend their vocational licences after the age of 70 are required to pass a detailed assessment at Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

The assessment, which takes about an hour to complete, includes a medical examination, an occupational therapy evaluation and a driving test with an occupational therapist and a qualified driving instructor present.

With the new age limit, taxi drivers who wish to extend their vocational licence after the age of 73 will be required to pass the assessment annually "or at a shorter interval as deemed necessary by the doctor or occupational therapist", said the LTA. Taxi drivers who pass the assessment will have their vocational licences renewed annually till they are 75.

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