10 Vehicles Seized at Singapore Checkpoints Over Unauthorized Cross-Border Operations
Ten drivers were caught at Singapore’s land checkpoints for offering unlawful cross-border ride-hailing services on Wednesday, October 15.
On the same day, Senior Minister of State for Transportation Sun Xueling stated in a Facebook post that the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) carried out cooperative enforcement activities.
The LTA claims that the National Taxi Association and the National Private Hire Vehicles Association provided tips that prompted border officers to take action. According to LTA, all ten vehicles were seized.
The enforcement action coincides with increased efforts by Malaysian and Singaporean authorities to combat illegal ride-hailing services between Johor Bahru and Singapore.
Sun claims that since July, 117 vehicles have been seized for offering these unlawful services.
“These operations are crucial to protect commuter safety,” she said, highlighting the dangers to commuters’ safety when they interact with unlicensed cars that are not properly insured.
Additionally, she encouraged the public to use authorized and lawful vehicles for their travels, such as ComfortDelGro, Strides Premier, and Trans-Cab, which offer legitimate cross-border taxi services between Singapore and Johor Bahru.
Bilateral discussions are underway to permit qualified cross-border taxis operating under the Cross-Border Taxi Scheme to drop off passengers anywhere in Singapore and Johor Bahru, Sun informed Parliament.
She said that although the government acknowledges the need for these point-to-point services, strict enforcement is essential, and talks are still going on with platform operators to use their platform-based technology to track the whereabouts of the vehicles.
A maximum jail sentence of six months, a fine of up to S$3,000, or both could be imposed on those found guilty of offering unlawful ride-hailing services. Additionally, they risk having their cars seized.
