M'sian man caught illegally ferrying 5 people from M'sia to S'pore for RM100

A Malaysian man was sentenced in court after he illegally ferried five passengers from Malaysia to Singapore.

Ng Choh Kit, 42, charged each passenger a fare of RM100 (S$30.40).

He was also found to have been importing contraband cigarettes, reported CNA.

For his cigarette offence, Ng was sentenced to nine months' jail on Sep. 1.

He was also issued a S$1,800 fine for his illegal ride-hailing services, and banned from driving in Singapore for 12 months.

He could not pay the fine and will serve another six days' jail in default.

Caught for ferrying passengers

On May 18, a Singapore Customs officer stopped Ng's Malaysia-registered vehicle at Woodlands Checkpoint.

According to court documents seen by Mothership, five passengers were on board at the time. He had picked them up at Mersing Pier.

Ng was found to lack the proper registration and insurance policy required of a third-party ride-hailing service.

In addition, he'd imported contraband cigarettes which involved over S$42,000 of unpaid duties, the court heard.

Wanted to raise money for wife

Ng, who was unrepresented, told the court that he was trying to raise money for his wife, who is suffering from womb cancer, reported CNA.

He also has to care for elderly relatives, and requested leniency so he could go home soon to continue his caregiving duties.

Illegal cross-border ride-hailing services

Unlicenced cross-border ride-hailing services are illegal in Singapore.

In recent months, the authorities have ramped up on enforcement action.

Senior Minister of State for Transport Sun Xueling explained previously that such services, which lack the proper licence and insurance coverage for their passengers, "put passengers at risk".

It also harms the livelihoods of law-abiding drivers, she said.

Sun said that there are licenced cross-border taxis, which the Singapore authorities are looking to improve.

But these depend on reciprocal agreements with Malaysia and require both governments to agree on the changes.

More recently, on Aug. 18, Malaysia's transport minister said it is ready to discuss cross-border ride-hailing plans with Singapore.

On Sep. 2, Minister for Transport Jeffrey Siow met taxi associations to begin the review of the current cross-border taxi scheme.

Top image from Professional PHV Drivers Singapore Facebook