22 drivers caught on Jul. 11 for offering illegal ride-hailing services in S'pore & to/from M'sia

22 drivers were caught at Changi Airport and Gardens by The Bay on Jul. 11 for providing illegal ride-hailing services within Singapore, and to/from Malaysia.

Their vehicles were also impounded, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) shared on its Facebook page.

They had been acting on tip-offs to catch the drivers.

"LTA will continue to take firm action against illegal point-to-point services, including cross-border transport services, which do not have a valid Public Service Vehicle Licence (PSVL)," the statutory board stated.

LTA advised passengers to avoid using illegal point-to-point services as these services pose serious risks without proper licensing and insurance, especially when accidents occur.

These services also affect the livelihoods of licensed drivers.

If convicted, offenders may face a fine of up to S$3,000 and/or six months' imprisonment, and their vehicles may also be forfeited.

Senior Minister of State for the Ministry of Transport Sun Xueling said in a Facebook post that LTA will increase the coverage and frequency of its enforcement actions against such illegal private hire car services.

"We will not hesitate to press for heavier fines, or to impound or forfeit these foreign-registered vehicles."

Detected 232 active mobility offences

In a separate Facebook post shared on the same day (Jul. 11), LTA shared more about their islandwide enforcement operations in the last two months.

In that period, 232 active mobility offences were detected and 151 non-compliant devices impounded.

Some of these offences included using Power-Assisted Bicycles (PABs) with improper or missing registration plates, riding or keeping illegally modified PABs, and riding bicycles without working handbrakes.

LTA said it worked with police officers from Marina Bay, Punggol, and Geylang Neighbourhood Police Centres to target large group gatherings of users during the June school holidays.

First-time offenders caught using improper or obscured PAB number plates may face fines up to S$1,000 and/or three months’ imprisonment.

Those using non-compliant devices on paths face up to S$10,000 fine and/or six months imprisonment.

Top image via LTA/Facebook