14 drivers caught at airport for providing illegal rides between Singapore and Malaysia

SINGAPORE — A total of 14 drivers were arrested by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) in a three-day operation this week at the Changi Airport for providing illegal chauffeur services.

In a Facebook post by LTA on Aug 30, it said the drivers were providing rides illegally between Singapore and Malaysia, as well as within Singapore. Their vehicles, foreign-registered, were also seized.

Earlier on Aug 7, the agency also arrested four drivers for providing illegal cross-border rides between Singapore and Malaysia, and seized their Malaysia-registered vehicles.

The latest arrests bring the total number of drivers caught for providing illegal cross-border services to 32 since 2022, an LTA spokesperson told The Straits Times.

Checks by ST on Aug 8 found that several Facebook pages, Telegram groups, websites and more than 20 listings on e-commerce platform Carousell were offering cross-border chauffeur services targeting travellers from Singapore.

One website with a Malaysian contact number offered a ride from Singapore to Mount Austin in Johor Bahru on a multi-purpose vehicle at a starting fee of $100.

There was no mention of insurance coverage or the required licence to operate cross-border services on the website.

The National Private Hire Vehicles Association said on Facebook on Aug 30 that it has been working with LTA on the crackdown and is "seeing positive steps" towards tackling the Malaysian point-to-point services offered by illegal drivers at the airport.

Urging the public not to use these services, LTA said not only do the services break the law, but also put one's safety at risk. The vehicles involved may lack adequate insurance coverage, the agency added.

Those who are caught providing illegal hire-and-reward services, including cross-border trips without a valid public service vehicle licence, can be fined up to $3,000, jailed for up to six months, or both. The vehicles used may also be forfeited.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.