S'pore & M'sia cross-border taxis can soon drop off passengers anywhere, taxi quota to be raised to 500 each

Singapore and Malaysia will be gradually raising the quota for licensed cross-border taxis from 200 to 500 from each country.

They will each first increase the quota by 100, prioritising larger and more premium vehicles that can cater to larger groups and business travellers, the two ministries of transport announced in a joint statement.

The move will be subject to the effective implementation of safeguards against illegal domestic trips and insurance requirements.

This was decided following a discussion between Singapore's Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow and Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke, on Dec. 4 during the 12th Singapore-Malaysia Leaders’ Retreat.

More convenience

During their discussion, the ministers acknowledged the demand for more convenient cross-border transport services, and the need to curb illegal services.

Currently, cross-border taxis are only permitted to pick up and drop passengers off at only one designated point in each country — Larkin Sentral in Johor Bahru for Singapore taxis, and Ban San Street Terminal in Singapore for Malaysian taxis.

On Dec. 4, both sides agreed to allow taxis from Singapore to drop passengers off anywhere in Malaysia, and vice versa.

As for picking up passengers, foreign taxis will still be limited to designated pick-up points, to prevent them from providing local point-to-point services.

Singapore and Malaysia will gradually increase the number of pick-up points for ride-hail or e-hailing app bookings, both ministries said.

They will also develop a regulatory regime for such booking platforms.

More protection

Additionally, the two countries will work towards improving insurance coverage of cross-border taxis, and speeding up claims processing in the event of an accident.

To counter illegal domestic point-to-point trips, licensed taxis will be required to be clearly identifiable by a livery and tamper-proof vehicle plate with pre-defined prefix and topper.

Those from Malaysia will also need to install Singapore’s ERP2 on-board unit to enter Singapore.

Between July and November 2025, 141 vehicles were impounded in Singapore for offering illegal cross-border services, Senior Minister of State for Transport Sun Xueling said on Nov. 28.

Cross-border bus services

The two ministers also discussed improving the reciprocity of cross-border bus services.

Noting that travellers from both countries rely on cross-border bus services for tourism, the ministers have asked their respective land transport authorities to work towards aligning regulatory regimes for cross-border tour bus services.

National Taxi Association's response

The Singapore National Taxi Association (NTA) welcomed the announcement on enhancing cross-border taxi services.

"The planned expansion of pick-up and drop-off points will bring greater convenience for passengers and widen income opportunities for our drivers," NTUC Assistant Secretary General and Advisor to the National Taxi Association Yeo Wan Ling wrote in a Facebook post.

NTA will work closely with the Ministry of Transport (MOT) and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to ensure fair competition and protection of drivers’ interests as the changes are implemented.

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Top images from Farah Hanson/Google Maps and Jeffrey Siow's Facebook