In the past two weeks, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) carried out enforcement operations at Gardens by the Bay, Changi Airport and land checkpoints, seizing four vehicles suspected of providing illegal ride-hailing services.
Senior Minister of State for Transport and National Development, Sun Xueling, said in a Facebook post on Thursday (Aug 21) that the drivers involved will be charged in court for offering illegal ride-hailing services without a licence.
She added that the vehicles may also lack proper insurance, which means passengers are not adequately protected.
According to her, the enforcement operations were conducted following feedback from the National Private Hire Vehicles Association (NPHVA), an affiliate of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), and the members of the public. “We have been systematically fine-tuning our mechanisms around enforcement,” she said.
Sun also acknowledged that authorities understand the public’s demand for cross-border travel, whether for visiting family in Malaysia, business, or short getaways. “We will discuss with the relevant parties how these needs can be better met, while protecting the safety of passengers and the livelihood of drivers,” she added.
Local drivers step up to report illegal transport services
Some local private hire drivers have also reportedly played their part by reporting suspicious cases to the LTA.
At Changi Airport, for instance, a 54-year-old driver spotted a Malaysian-registered MPV loitering at the arrival hall before picking up what appeared to be tourists. He recorded the incident on video and submitted it through the LTA’s official site.
Drivers explained that such vigilance is needed because illegal foreign operators often charge cheaper fares, luring unsuspecting tourists, while creating unfair competition for local drivers. By reporting these cases, they hope to protect both their livelihoods and passenger safety. Their actions also support broader efforts by the government, NTUC and its affiliate associations to safeguard the livelihoods of platform workers and ensure safer, regulated services for passengers.
Cross-border arrangements require agreement from both governments
Earlier this month, Sun revealed that authorities are studying ways to improve the current cross-border taxi service.
This includes adding more designated pick-up and drop-off points to encourage more taxi operators to participate, expanding the range of vehicle models allowed, and developing an app to book cross-border taxis.
However, she also stressed that such arrangements require mutual agreement between both Singapore and Malaysia before they can be implemented.
Separately, when asked by Lianhe Zaobao about Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke’s recent comments that Malaysia hopes to implement cross-border ride-hailing services, Singapore’s Ministry of Transport reiterated on Wednesday (Aug 20) that no such decision had been made in earlier discussions between the two countries. LTA will continue to clamp down on illegal ride-hailing services to safeguard passenger safety and the livelihoods of licensed drivers.
A Ministry spokesperson explained that while the topic of cross-border ride-hailing was indeed raised during past discussions between Singapore and Malaysian officials, no agreement was reached. The Ministry is instead exploring how to enhance cross-border taxi services to better meet demand for convenient point-to-point travel.
The spokesperson also emphasised that it is illegal for Malaysian-registered private cars or ride-hailing vehicles to pick up passengers in Singapore or to offer cross-border trips. All vehicles, including those registered overseas, must hold a valid Public Service Vehicle Licence to operate legally.
Since only licensed taxis are covered by the relevant insurance, and most travel or personal accident insurance policies may not cover incidents involving unlicensed vehicles, the Ministry urged passengers travelling between Singapore and Malaysia to use licensed taxi services.
According to Sin Chew Daily, Loke said during the debate on Malaysia’s 13th Plan that Malaysia is in principle keen to introduce cross-border ride-hailing services between Johor Bahru and Singapore. However, this can only proceed with the agreement and consensus of both governments.
He added that he had previously raised this idea with former Singapore Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat, but Singapore was not ready to discuss it at that time.
