The road transport department (JPJ) has seized four Singapore-registered vehicles after they were found to be illegally operated for e-hailing services in Malaysia, The Star reported. These vehicles were found to be operated by Singaporeans, and the vehicles included luxury MPVs and a van, said JPJ director-general Datuk Aedy Fadly Ramli.
“The drivers were ferrying tourists from Singapore and other nationalities into Johor during ongoing operations in Johor Baru starting August 9,” the JPJ director-general said. These drivers lacked permits to operate e-hailing services in Malaysia and did not possess Malaysian road tax or public service vehicle registration, he added.
“These operators have no approval from the Malaysian government, Land Public Transport Agency (APAD), or JPJ to operate here,” Aedy Fadly said. Enforcement aims to protect passenger safety, and in the event of an accident in Malaysia involves unlicensed operators from Singapore, there could be serious consequences for passengers, drivers, and even bilateral relations, he said.
Seizures of the vehicles were conducted under Section 80 of the Apad Act 2010 and the operators are being investigated under Section 16(1) of the same Act for operating a service vehicle without a valid permit in Malaysia, reported The Star.
When asked if the crackdown was in response to Singapore’s recent enforcement against Malaysian e-hailing drivers, Aedy Fadly said “That is the [Singapore] Land Transport Authority’s (LTA) duty. This is carried out by JPJ with a different modus operandi, not as a reaction to LTA’s operations,” he clarified.
The news daily cited the Singapore LTA as stating that 19 drivers were caught offering illegal ride-hailing services in Singapore and across the border on August 5, and these drivers were apprehended a combined operation with the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority targeting the activities at a land checkpoint, and through patrols by the LTA at at Gardens by the Bay and at Changi Airport.
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