On 11 July 2025, 22 drivers were caught providing illegal ride-hailing services at Changi Airport and Gardens by the Bay. Their vehicles, which were foreign-registered, have been impounded.
According to Senior Minister of State for Transport Sun Xueling, the enforcement was carried out by officers from the Land Transport Authority (LTA) after receiving tip-offs from the public and the National Private Hire Vehicles Association (NPHVA).
These drivers were found offering unauthorised transport services within Singapore, as well as across the border to and from Malaysia. Such services are illegal under local laws, especially when foreign-registered vehicles are involved.
“Foreign-registered vehicles providing illegal private hire car services harm the livelihoods of our local taxi and private hire car drivers,” Sun said in a Facebook post.
She added that LTA will step up enforcement efforts and will not hesitate to push for heavier penalties or the forfeiture of vehicles used for illegal services.
In a Facebook post, NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng also said,
“I’m glad LTA acted on the NPHVA information against illegal ride-hailing services. These illicit drivers affect our legitimate drivers’ income.
This is why I called for a trilateral workgroup with MOM, MOT and Grab Singapore to act on this, as well as other issues affecting platform workers.
We will keep standing up for our workers.”
NTUC held dialogue session with platform workers
This latest enforcement action comes shortly after the Labour Chief met with platform workers to better understand the challenges they face.
During the session, many riders and drivers shared their struggles, such as:
- Uncertain and unstable earnings
- Foreigners allegedly working illegally in delivery and ride-hailing jobs
- Misuse of accounts on platforms
- Foreign workers taking jobs through outsourced companies without valid permits
- Lack of clarity on how jobs are assigned or how much workers will earn
- Illegal hitch services operating through apps like Telegram
Ng noted that these issues are becoming more urgent and are directly affecting the income of Singapore’s platform workers.
New Workgroup to Tackle Illegal Platform Work
To address these concerns, it has been announced that a trilateral work group will be formed.
This group will bring together:
- NTUC and its associations (NDCA, NPHVA, and NTA)
- Major platform companies like Grab
- The Ministry of Manpower (MOM)
- The Ministry of Transport (MOT)
The goal is to create fair and practical solutions to protect local platform workers, make sure only authorised people perform the work, and increase transparency about how platforms operate.
Illegal Work Harms Legitimate Workers
Illegal ride-hailing and unauthorised delivery work not only break the law but also harm local workers who are trying to earn a living the right way.
With enforcement actions already taking place and a new workgroup being formed, both the Government and NTUC are making clear that such illegal practices will not be tolerated.
