No plans to ‘fully liberalise’ cross-border ride-hailing services: LTA

The Land Transport Authority on Sunday (Aug 3) said it has “no plan to fully liberalise” point-to-point transportation between Singapore and Malaysia via ride-hailing services.

This was in response to recent media reports from Malaysia, which suggested that Singapore is looking to introduce cross-border on-demand ride services.

The agency clarified that officials from both countries had met on Aug 1 to discuss cross-border service arrangements.

“During the discussions, the issue of allowing cross-border (ride-hailing) to ferry passengers was raised, but no decision was made,” said LTA. While the agency is open to ideas to improve the cross-border community experience, it said there is no intention to fully liberalise cross-border transportation through ride-hailing services.

Currently, there is a reciprocal Cross Border Taxi Scheme (CBTS) that allows a licensed fleet of up to 200 taxis from each side to ferry passengers across the Causeway.

These taxis are permitted to pick up and drop off passengers at a single designated point on either side: Larkin Sentral in Johor Bahru for Singapore taxis, and Ban San Street Terminal in Singapore for Malaysian taxis.

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The existing quota of the CBTS has not been fully utilised, said LTA. “In view of commuter demand for more convenient cross-border travel, we will encourage full take-up of the quota.”

The agency said it is also considering increasing the number of boarding and alighting points in both countries, in addition to the use of ride-hailing apps to book cross-border trips on licensed taxis.

“Our key priorities are to better meet commuter demand while safeguarding the interests of our taxi and private hire drivers,” LTA said. Any change in the CBTS will require agreements from both governments.

LTA added that during earlier discussions, Malaysian authorities had requested for Singapore’s cross-border buses to start operations from Johor Bahru at 4 am.

It is exploring, together with cross-border bus operators, if operating times of these services can be adjusted to address bus crowding in the early mornings. This includes engaging private bus operators on potentially operating earlier services at higher fares.

“A key consideration is that the first buses should match the starting time of our local bus and MRT services when they arrive in Singapore,” said LTA.