Singapore considers app-based cross-border taxi bookings to Malaysia

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said Tuesday that discussions also included potentially raising taxi quotas and allowing larger-capacity vehicles under the existing cross-border taxi scheme, Channel News Asia reported.

Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow, Senior Minister of State Sun Xueling, the Ministry of Transport, and LTA met last week with representatives from the National Taxi Association (NTA), the National Private Hire Vehicles Association (NPHVA), and the Singapore-Johor Bahru Taxi Association to review point-to-point transport arrangements.

"As we advance discussions with our Malaysian counterparts to find better ways of serving commuters, the support of the National Taxi Association and National Private Hire Vehicles Association will help us to also protect the livelihoods of our local taxi and private hire car drivers," said LTA.

Authorities noted that improvements could be made to the current system, including expanding designated pick-up and drop-off points and streamlining clearance procedures.

Under the current Cross Border Taxi Scheme, a maximum of 200 licensed taxis from each side can ferry passengers across the Causeway, the bridge linking the two countries. Singapore taxis may only pick up or drop off at Larkin Sentral in Johor Bahru, while Malaysian taxis operate at Ban San Street Terminal in Singapore, the Business Times reported.

The Singapore-Malaysia Causeway cross border link. Photo from Facebook

LTA said demand is rising for more flexible services, particularly from families with young children, elderly Singaporeans visiting relatives in Malaysia, and business travelers. "There are Singaporeans willing to pay for these services, and Singaporean drivers who are keen and able to serve this demand."

In a joint Facebook post Tuesday, the NTA and NPHVA said they had raised challenges of the current framework during their meeting, citing issues in passenger matching, clearance efficiency, and the lack of flexible pick-up and drop-off points. They also warned that illegal point-to-point cross-border services are operating, creating "unfair competition and safety risks," according to AsiaOne.

The associations proposed solutions including passenger matching via ride-hailing apps, dedicated lanes for faster clearance, and fixed pick-up points to maintain regulatory oversight. They said they "stand ready to partner with authorities to implement solutions that strengthen Singapore's transport sector," and thanked the LTA for its "receptive response."

The meeting followed intensified enforcement against illegal private-hire services. On Aug. 5, LTA and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority caught 19 drivers operating illegally, with 12 nabbed in a separate operation on July 29, and 10 at Changi Airport on July 18.

LTA reiterated on Aug. 3 that there are no plans to fully liberalize cross-border ride-hailing, while Sun noted in an Aug. 6 Facebook post that authorities are stepping up enforcement against unauthorized operators.

Singapore and Malaysian officials also met on Aug. 1 to discuss cross-border transport, where the issue of e-hailing services was raised, though LTA said no decision has yet been made.