Acting Transport Minister adds that LTA will continue to enforce against illegal point-to-point transport services
[SINGAPORE] Licensed cross-border taxis from Malaysia will be required to install Singapore’s Electronic Road Pricing 2.0 (ERP 2.0) on-board unit (OBU) for entry into the country, said Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow on Tuesday (Jan 13).
He made this point in a written reply to queries from Member of Parliament Poh Li San (Sembawang West), who asked about the measures in place to address concerns from Singaporean taxi and private-hire vehicle drivers about competition from Malaysian taxis under the cross-border scheme.
These foreign taxis must also be clearly identifiable by liveries, tamper-proof vehicle plates with predefined prefixes, and taxi toppers, he noted.
Further specific details about the implementation of these new requirements were not provided.
The installation of the new OBU began in late 2023 for vehicles licensed in Singapore and was expected to be completed in 2025.
It replaces the old in-vehicle unit system, and uses satellites to provide more accurate and real-time traffic information.
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In his reply, Siow added that the Land Transport Authority (LTA) will continue to enforce against illegal point-to-point transport services.
Currently, foreign taxis may drop off and pick up passengers only at Ban San Street Terminal in Singapore and Larkin Sentral Terminal in Johor Bahru, Malaysia.
That said, licensed foreign taxis will soon be allowed to drop off passengers anywhere in both countries.
This follows a joint statement in December last year by Siow and Malaysia’s Transport Minister Anthony Loke that announced a series of changes to the cross-border taxi scheme, including a gradual increase of quotas for licensed taxis from 200 to 500 per country.
The ministers met during the 12th Singapore-Malaysia Leaders’ Retreat to discuss ongoing efforts to strengthen transport links between the two neighbours.
While the plan aims to increase ride-hail and pick-up points, foreign taxis will remain restricted to pick up at designated points to protect the interest of local drivers.
“This will allow our taxi drivers to better meet demand for cross-border trips starting in Singapore,” said Siow. “Over time, we plan to increase the number of ride-hail pick-up points to include more frequented locations.”
He added that while it is “not possible to equalise” the operational costs between Singaporean and Malaysian taxis, the government is working on measures to ensure that cross-border trips are more viable for Singaporean taxi drivers.
On the point of fuel subsidies, Siow stated that this remains a “matter for the Malaysian authorities to consider”.
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