Before their hiatus, these operators were often seen at Larkin Sentral, a bus terminal in Johor Bahru with services to the city-state, where they earned as much as RM3,300 (US$780) a day providing illegal cross-border trips using premium multi-purpose vehicles valued at over RM500,000 each.
They have now returned to the same spot but are operating differently, The Star reported.
Safarudin Abu Bakar, a 44-year-old licensed taxi driver who has been driving the Johor Bahru–Singapore route for 13 years, told the Malaysian newspaper that the touts have switched to sedans to avoid being detected by Singapore’s Land Transport Authority.
He added that their fares had also gone up to S$35 (US$26.8) per passenger from S$30.
 |
|
Vehicles form a long queue to enter Woodlands checkpoint in Singapore on March 17, 2020 from across the causeway of the southern Malaysian state of Johor. Photo by AFP |
Johor Bahru lies across the border from Singapore and is connected to the city-state by the Johor–Singapore Causeway, which is used daily by many Malaysians commuting to work and Singaporeans looking for cheaper goods and services.
Only a certain number of licensed taxis from both countries are allowed to provide cross-border services, and only to and from certain locations, per Channel News Asia.
These taxis can operate only between one approved pickup and drop-off point each, with Singapore taxis limited to Larkin Sentral in Johor Bahru and Malaysian taxis to Ban San Street Terminal in Singapore.
But unauthorized operators would take passengers across the border into Singapore, then continue to offer point-to-point services there and eventually return them to Johor Bahru.
Operating cross-border trips without a valid license can lead to fines of up to S$3,000, jail terms of up to six months, or both. Authorities may also seize offenders’ vehicles.
Authorities on both sides of the Causeway have stepped up action against illegal cross-border ride-hailing in recent months.
Since July, Singapore’s LTA has seized 126 foreign-registered vehicles for operating such services, Sun Xueling, the city-state’s Senior Minister of State for Transport, said in a Facebook post on Tuesday, as quoted by AsiaOne.
Sun previously warned that the practice “put passengers at risk, and harms the livelihoods of law-abiding licensed drivers.”
She also said last month that both countries were in discussions to let Malaysian taxis drop passengers anywhere in Singapore and allow Singapore taxis the same flexibility in Johor Bahru.
In the meantime, several transport operators have launched online booking for cross-border taxis, including Singapore’s ComfortDelGro and Strides Premier as well as Malaysia’s Kummute, The Straits Times reported.
Besides taxis, those in Singapore can also take a bus, ride a bicycle, drive their own car, or even walk to reach Johor Bahru.
