15 drivers caught for illegal ride-hailing services all over S'pore in last few weeks, all vehicles confiscated

Eight drivers were caught providing illegal cross-border ride-hailing services at Singapore's land checkpoints over the past few days, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on Sep. 30.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, LTA said it has continued to take action against such services "to protect passenger safety and the interests of licensed drivers".

It was conducting an enforcement operation at the checkpoints based on tip-offs from the National Private Hire Vehicles Association (NPHVA) and National Taxi Association.

All eight vehicles were impounded.

7 drivers caught a week ago

This latest clampdown came about a week after seven drivers were caught and had their vehicles impounded when enforcement operations were carried out at multiple locations, including Changi Airport, Marina Bay Cruise Centre and along a major road.

Details and photos of the operation were announced by Senior Minister of State for Transport Sun Xueling on Sep. 26.

Although not revealed, the location where a black multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) was towed away appeared to be at the Shell petrol station along Punggol Road.

Enforcement actions were also carried out at the airport.

Encouraging legal cross-border services

Sun said in her Sep. 30 Facebook post on the recent clampdown that she and LTA have discussed various proposals with the Malaysia authorities to improve the convenience of cross-border taxi services for local commuters.

They include increasing boarding and alighting points, and encouraging more types of vehicles to provide legal cross-border services to serve different passenger needs.

To protect Singapore drivers' livelihoods, LTA will "need to make use of technology to track foreign vehicles’ use of our roads", Sun added.

In September, two taxi companies in Singapore, ComfortDelGro and Strides Premier, announced their own cross-border taxi services to Johor Bahru.

Licence required

A Public Service Vehicle Licence (PSVL) is required to offer taxi or private-hire car services in Singapore, which also applies to drivers of foreign-registered vehicles that offer cross-border services between Singapore and Malaysia.

LTA and Malaysia’s Land Public Transport Agency must approve Singapore- and Malaysia-registered taxis that provide cross-border rides.

Malaysia-registered taxis must have the PSVL and an Asean Public Service Vehicle Permit.

People caught providing illegal ride-hailing services in Singapore can face a fine of up to S$3,000, six months' jail, or both.

Their vehicles may also be forfeited.

Platform workers and members of the public can report illegal ride-hailing services by foreign-registered cars at LTA’s OneMotoring website.

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