M'sian man hopes M'sia govt can assist illegal ride-hailing drivers amidst LTA clampdown in S'pore

A Malaysian man has taken to social media to bemoan the recent clampdown on illegal ride-hailing services in Singapore, as he explains he is a frequent user of such services personally and for his business.

The man, who goes by the "K2 Boss" moniker online and identifies as a business owner in Malaysia, did a piece addressing the camera for about 2 minutes, explaining his predicament.

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What he said

He started by relating an anecdote alleging that a colleague of his drove a company multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) from Malaysia to Singapore alone for legitimate work purposes, but was apparently stopped by immigration officers for checks.

The vehicle that the colleague was driving was apparently a seven-seater Toyota Alphard, which is typically used for illegal ride-hailing purposes.

At the Singapore checkpoint, immigration officers allegedly questioned K2 Boss' colleague, asking if he was using the vehicle for ferrying passengers illegally.

The encounter allegedly lasted about 30 minutes.

K2 Boss' colleague was then allowed to continue on his journey.

No longer dares to drive MPV into Singapore

Following this encounter, K2 Boss claimed he no longer dares to drive the MPV into Singapore.

He then continued with another anecdote about how he would fly abroad monthly from Changi Airport, and would rely on illegal cross-border transfer services to take him from Johor to Singapore to catch his flight.

And when he touches down at Changi Airport, he would also use the illegal cross-border services to take him back to Malaysia.

He added that he would arrange for these illegal cross-border ride-hailing services to pick up his clients who fly to Singapore and land in Changi Airport in order to get to Johor.

It was implied in the video that landing in Changi Airport to get back to Johor via illegal ride-hailing services was a relatively convenient method of travel.

According to sources online and in Telegram chat groups, it costs between S$150 to S$200 to book a one-way trip between Singapore and Johor, depending on the distance.

Malaysian drivers facing problem

K2 Boss acknowledged that such illegal services have been operating for many years and subsequently asked how should he go about making the journey from Johor to Singapore, and vice versa, moving forward.

He said: "This service has been in Johor Bahru for so many years over a long period of time. Recently, the Singapore government suddenly started clamping down on illegal ride-hailing services."

"Because of this clampdown in Singapore, the Malaysian drivers are facing problems with their current operations."

He also claimed he saw in the news that Malaysian drivers are organising themselves, perhaps to ask for the ride-hailing services to be reinstated.

Asked what can he do

K2 Boss added that he cannot say how the Singapore government will resolve this issue, but hopes that the Malaysia government can assist the drivers of the illegal ride-hailing services.

He lamented: "How do we get to Singapore Changi Airport now?"

"I'm afraid to drive my company's vehicle."

Not the first to bemoan clampdown

A Johor state assemblyman, Andrew Chen, has called for the governments of Malaysia and Singapore to adopt a common mechanism to regulate cross-border ride-hailing services.

About recent clampdown

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has been clamping down on illegal ride-hailing services in Singapore.

Enforcement action has been carried out at a land checkpoint, Changi Airport, as well as other places of interests.

Such illegal services pose risks, as they may lack proper insurance coverage in the event of accidents and injuries, as well as undermine the livelihoods of licensed drivers, LTA said.

Drivers operating such illegal services may also not have the valid driving, as well as vocational licences.

Those caught providing illegal ride-hailing services, including cross-border ones, were the result of regular patrols and acting on tip-offs from the National Private Hire Vehicles Association (NPHVA), LTA added.

LTA stated that there is currently a reciprocal Cross Border Taxi Scheme (CBTS) in place that allows a licensed fleet of up to 200 taxis from each side to ferry passengers between Singapore and JB.

Top photos via K2 Boss & LTA