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Two car drivers and a motorcyclist had their vehicles impounded by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) earlier in May after they were caught offering illegal motorcycle pooling and carpooling services.

LTA put up a Facebook post on May 16 about the enforcement action and showed two cars and a motorcycle being towed away.

“For commuters’ own safety, we strongly encourage those who wish to book point-to-point transport services, including commercial carpooling services, to do so via licensed business platforms,” LTA said.

Carpooling Telegram chat groups still popular

Currently, passengers make use of Telegram chat groups to match with drivers, a practice that is illegal and unregulated.

The most popular carpooling chat group, SG Hitch, has more than 190,000 members now.

Such unregulated carpooling rides do not have the same safeguards in place that licensed carpooling operators do, Senior Minister of State for Transport Amy Khor said in Parliament in February 2023.

These chat groups started appearing around 2019.

Licensed carpooling operators conduct verification of driving licences, as well as keep a record of details of booked trips.

Such information can be used for investigations in the event of disputes.

Ryde and Grab are issued the Carpool Service Operator Licence (CSOL).

Past enforcement action

According to LTA, six drivers were fined S$1,200 and also disqualified from driving for 12 months after they were charged in court for the offence of illegal carpooling from 2020 to 2023.

The six drivers were also found guilty of failing to hold the requisite third-party motor insurance and fined S$600.

Those convicted of providing illegal carpooling services without a vocational licence, or using an unlicensed vehicle, may be jailed for up to six months, fined up to S$3,000, or both.

Members of the public can file a report with LTA [email protected] if they encounter individuals providing illegal carpooling services.

They can also visit OneMotoring to file a report to LTA via the e-service “Report Vehicle-Related Offences”.

Background

In February 2023, a LTA spokesperson told Mothership that carpooling matched through informal non-business platforms, such as Telegram’s SGHitch, continues to be disallowed.

There are no restrictions on social carpooling among friends and colleagues.

Top photos via Land Transport Authority