Private-hire driver fined S$650 for touting, asking for S$65 fare at HarbourFront taxi stand

A private-hire vehicle driver in Singapore was fined S$650 for loitering and looking for customers around HarbourFront Centre's taxi stand.

Feedback regarding the touting incident on Mar. 31, 2024, was submitted to the Land Transport Authority (LTA).

Asked for S$65

The driver, Steven Gan Teck Guan, had asked for S$65 in exchange for providing a ride.

He was charged with loitering for the purpose of soliciting passengers.

He was convicted after he contested the charge.

He was not represented by a lawyer.

A judgment for the case was made available online on Sep. 2.

Fare pegged to displayed app price

Ranjit Singh Manjit Singh was in the taxi stand queue at HarbourFront Centre following a trip to Batam, Indonesia.

He testified that Gan had told people waiting in line that the queue was long.

Singh added that Gan offered a ride, and provided a fare price upon request.

He asked Gan if he provided a taxi service.

Gan replied that he would charge the premium price listed in the Grab app.

Singh's app showed the price was S$65.

He asked Gan if he was touting.

Both men engaged in a verbal exchange.

Gan said he studied law.

Singh took photos of Gan's vehicle and sent them with feedback to LTA, noting that Gan's vehicle was parked at the taxi bay.

Driver's defence

Gan argued that he did not fall for the "trap" after LTA fabricated the story and conspired with Singh to entice him.

Gan said Singh communicated with him first.

He then responded with a fare that Singh rejected.

What footage showed

Surveillance footage from 5:30pm to 6:15pm that day showed Gan at the location for more than half an hour.

He was seen walking at the area people were waiting for taxis.

The judge said the evidence showed Gan was not there to fulfil any bookings.

The court heard that the investigation officer confirmed with four ride-hailing firms, Grab, Gojek, Tada and Ryde Technologies, that Gan did not have any bookings between 5pm and 6:30pm that day.

Claimed he was waiting for personal job

Gan said he was waiting for a personal job and walked around due to his diabetes, arthritis and gout.

He told LTA he would wait for passengers who had personal bookings and ride-hail bookings.

He later claimed his statement was not totally true, but did not elaborate.

Gan also said Singh approached him first, but Singh disputed that claim.

Gan claimed that Singh offered S$50, but Gan rejected it, saying that he had an appointment and Singh should make a booking with Grab.

Gan said his personal customer did not show up and he drove off.

What judge found

The judge eventually found Singh's evidence to be credible and rejected Gan's explanation that he was waiting for a personal job.

Gan had agreed that he had no evidence to show he had customers that day, but claimed that he knew many passengers from Indonesia as he previously drove a minibus.

He claimed that he had met his customer in a toilet, but could not remember the date he had met his customer and also testified that his customer did not give any precise time for his arrival in Singapore.

The judge rejected Gan's claim that LTA and Singh had fabricated the incident.

The prosecution sought a fine of S$700.

This was justifiable as the composition or out-of-court fine LTA had previously offered was S$500.

The LTA prosecutors said that they would have sought a S$600 fine, had Gan pleaded guilty.

The judge imposed a fine of S$650 given Gan's conduct and the fact that Singh felt that the situation could worsen.

Gan is out on bail pending appeal.

The payment has been stayed.

If he cannot pay the fine, he will serve two days' jail in default.

A first-time offender who solicits or loiters to solicit passengers can be jailed for up to three months or fined up to S$1,000, or both.