SINGAPORE, Oct 10 — A total of seven drivers were on Thursday caught for providing illegal cross-border taxi services at Singapore’s land checkpoints.

The operation was mounted acting on regular tip-offs from the National Private Hire Vehicle Association and the National Taxi Association, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) in a Facebook post the same evening.

According to Senior Minister of State for Transport Sun Xueling, a total of 5,400 vehicles has now been checked since July last year, with 254 vehicles impounded.

“We remain committed to taking firm enforcement actions against illegal cross-border service providers as such services undermine passenger safety and affect the livelihoods of our local point-to-point transport drivers,” the senior minister of state wrote in a Facebook post.

Meanwhile, LTA reminded providers of such illegal services that those caught could face fines of up to S$3,000 (RM9,570), jail of up to six months, or both.

Those caught providing illegal cross-border taxi services may have their vehicles forfeited. — Land Transport Authority pics via AsiaOne
Those caught providing illegal cross-border taxi services may have their vehicles forfeited. — Land Transport Authority pics via AsiaOne

Vehicles used could also be forfeited, the authority added.

Members of the public are reminded to book only licensed cross-border ride-hailing services such as Grab, or have a Singapore-registered cross-border taxi service to pick them up anywhere in Singapore, for drop-off anywhere in Johor Bahru, Iskandar Puteri, Forest City, Kulai and Senai. — AsiaOne