Modifying your car to look like a taxi could get you fined and jailed

SINGAPORE – Those who modify their vehicles to look like taxis could face jail time if they are caught.

Offenders may be jailed for up to three months, fined up to $5,000, or both on the first offence, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said in response to queries about photos on social media that surfaced in August of a modified car resembling a red Hong Kong taxi.

The car, a boxy red Toyota Corolla 1.3 manufactured in 1982, is a similar model to the original Hong Kong taxi.

The vehicle owner has since removed the taxi signs from the car after he was issued a warning, the authority said.

On the evening of Aug 14, Mr Jack Yong, 29, the car owner, discovered an LTA enforcement notice tucked under his car’s windscreen wiper.

The notice from LTA said Mr Yong’s car was a “private vehicle displaying a ‘taxi’ sign” and was required to undergo an inspection at an authorised centre by noon on Aug 17.

He posted a video on Facebook on Aug 15, showing him removing the letter “i” from the English word for taxi and modifying a character from the Chinese equivalent.

Mr Yong, who works as a sales manager at a car export firm, told The Straits Times: “It’s very disappointing as I spent a year refurbishing the entire car, yet it’s somehow... meaningless after the decal was removed. The finishing touch is not there any more.”

In April 2023, he bought the second-hand car from a relative of its previous owner for a five-figure amount. He then ordered decals resembling those on Hong Kong taxis and had them applied to his car in Johor Bahru.

In a separate Facebook post on Aug 17, Mr Yong said he had driven the finished product on only three occasions before he received the LTA enforcement notice. Mr Yong said he had the car inspected the next day and documents shared with ST showed that the car passed the inspection.

Mr Yong’s version of the Hong Kong taxi previously attracted the attention of motorists and passers-by, who shared photos of it on several car enthusiast Facebook pages. He received numerous compliments from both motorists and netizens, who admired the nostalgic charm of his car.

“Since the decals were removed, I have not driven the car on the road other than sending it for inspection required by LTA. It’s a pity and really sad as the story just ends like this,” he said.

Mr Yong said he is considering exporting it to Malaysia as a collectible and has submitted an appeal to the authorities to allow him to keep some of the taxi-related props in the car.

This is the second recent case reported of a modified car being ordered to remove its modifications by the authorities.

On June 19, ST reported that a white multi-purpose vehicle had decals with the word “polite” instead of “police”.

The following month, the owner of the car – which looked similar to a police patrol vehicle from a distance – was advised by the police to remove most of the livery on it.

The police, in consultation with the Attorney-General’s Chambers, gave the 32-year-old man a stern warning on July 2 under the Police Force Act 2004.

[[nid:690047]]

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