At Drive lah, we deeply believe in the power of partnership – whether it is with our Customers, Brand partners, Government or our Employees! Since day 1, we have believed in the motto, ‘Grow fast, Grow together’. Together with our network, we are determined to make car sharing a key mobility alternative in cities.

And an affirmation of this was the recent visit by the Minister of State, Low Yen Ling. On October 13th, MOS Low visited Drive lah’s office to interact with the founders and a couple of Drive lah users (all under social distancing norms!). The purpose of this visit was to better understand Drive lah, how we are driving car sharing in Singapore, the impact we have on the community, and how fruitful the partnership has been between the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI), Land Transport Authority (LTA) and Drive lah. 

Since its inception, Drive lah has worked closely with MTI and LTA on regulatory topics. In Singapore, there were limits to private car-sharing and it was allowed only over weekends. And this was a regulatory hurdle for us. So, our founders, Dirk-Jan and Gaurav, worked  closely with the LTA and MTI to evaluate how new regulations could be implemented to help Singapore adopt the innovative Peer-to-Peer car-sharing concept. 

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MOS Low explained in her facebook post, how PEP was helpful in supporting Drive lah. “The Pro Enterprise Panel – PEP had worked with MOT and LTA, through the First Mover Framework and New Idea Scheme, to implement a regulatory sandbox for Drive lah to test the effects of expanding the current scope of LTA’s Private Car Rental Scheme (PCRS) – under which private car owners are only allowed to rent their cars out on weekends and public holidays. The trial allows Drive lah to use a controlled number of 500 private cars during both weekdays and weekends, and has recently been extended until 31 March 2021.”

It was due to PEP that Drive lah was able to get a license for P2P car-sharing and take its first step towards developing an innovative way to travel. The PEP is the champion for the First Mover Framework and New Idea Scheme. The First Mover Framework aims to facilitate a pro-enterprise environment by giving entrepreneurs with innovative business ideas a head start in the allocation of public assets.

Ever since the approval from LTA, we have maintained close ties with the local transport bodies to update them on the progress. We regularly communicate our business growth and most importantly, the benefits to the Singapore environment. Drive lah, MTI and LTA have wonderfully bonded over the shared objective of providing a seamless way to travel along with reducing pollution, traffic congestion and car ownership. 

MOS Low closely identified with our initiative of providing a seamless way to commute without adding more cars on the road. Dirk-Jan and Gaurav discussed in detail about the asset light business model which has helped car owners reduce cost of car ownership and provide affordable car rental rates. Both of them also elaborated on the increase in number of car hosts which has actually made possible to rent a car at walking distance from your home!

MOS Low also spoke to Drive lah users, Ong Kim Leong Dragon and Yen Mei Moo who shared their experiences. Both users were very pleased with Drive lah and Ms Moo (in grey) said, “I am able to rent out my car several times a week using Drive lah and this has helped to generate some extra income for my family.”

Both users also mentioned how glad they feel about contributing to a greener Singapore and being a part of the sustainable economy. In uncertain times that everyone is in due to the pandemic, the additional income for car-sharing is a cushion against the financial challenges.

MOS Low was quite happy with the positive response from the users as well as all the information shared by the founders. She cemented her support and excitement towards the mobility sector and development of new technology which are focus areas for the Government.

She commented that the Government will keep working with such innovative businesses and improving the regulatory framework in Singapore to make business easier and more sustainable. She also used the opportunity to call young and innovative entrepreneurs and promised them support from regulatory bodies.

“The PEP will continue to ensure that our methods of regulation are up-to-date and also work with the relevant agencies to provide more opportunities for our businesses. If you have a new business idea or are facing regulatory challenges in getting your idea off the ground, do connect with the PEP today!”

The visit was definitely a vote of confidence by the Government and MOS Low and was a huge boost for our team! At Drive lah, we will continue to deliver on our commitment to keep Singapore green and make commuting affordable and convenient for everyone!

Explore Drive lah here – https://www.drivelah.sg/

Majulah Singapura!!  

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