LTA: Eight illegal cross-border ride-hailing drivers caught and vehicles impounded after industry tip-offs

SINGAPORE - The Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced the apprehension of eight individuals involved in providing illegal cross-border ride-hailing services at Singapore's land checkpoints and Changi area, as a result of intelligence gathered through industry tip-offs. Both the National Private Hire Vehicles Association (NPHVA) and the National Taxi Association played a crucial role in bringing this issue to light.

Anyone operating such services faces penalties that can include fines of up to S$3,000, imprisonment for up to six months, or both, with the option to forfeit their vehicle if necessary. The LTA emphasized that only licensed cross-border ride-hailing services booked through Grab, or Singapore-registered cross-border taxis, are authorized to provide cross-border transfers from various locations in Singapore to Johor Bahru, Iskandar Puteri, Forest City, Kulai, and Senai.

In response to this enforcement action, netizens expressed various viewpoints and suggested potential measures. Some called for enhanced surveillance at well-known hotspots, such as Jalan Jim Quee or the City Square bridge, where individuals are frequently identified as touting drivers. Others proposed extending penalties to passengers, arguing that when the purchasing of illegal services ceases, those illicit operations would follow suit.

There was also a suggestion that the law should apply not just to the drivers but also to the riders who utilize these illegal services. Lastly, a comment highlighted an expanding trend in the types of vehicles involved in these illegal touting activities, suggesting that smaller cars are now being utilized, a departure from the larger vehicles traditionally associated with cross-border transfers.