'Can negotiate one!': M'sia driver tells S'pore passenger why he's giving illegal rides on Telehitch
A driver was caught on camera telling a passenger about why he was apparently providing illegal carpooling services.
Stomper Coca sent Stomp videos of the incident, which occurred at about 12.20am on July 17, that he received from a friend.
Coca said the ride was booked via a 'Telehitch' channel on instant messaging platform Telegram.
In the first video, the passenger can be heard saying that a friend helped to book the ride for him, to which the driver replied: "No wonder lah!"
A car with a Malaysia-registered licence plate can be seen in the video.
During the ride, the driver explained that Telehitch allows him to avoid paying commissions to ride-hailing companies while passengers get to negotiate the price of their ride.
"Some more can negotiate one!" the driver is heard saying in another video. "Why I need to pay 20 per cent to the company? They just provide the transport. Nothing to do one, for them."
According to Coca, the ride was within Singapore. However, he does not know where the passenger was picked up and dropped off.
When contacted, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) referred Stomp to Senior Minister of State for Transport Amy Khor's response on the issue.
Dr Khor said in Parliament on March 6 that people should not seek rides through informal channels such as Telegram.
Unlike illegal carpooling services, licensed platforms can protect passengers' safety and offer them some safeguards, she noted.
In Singapore, carpooling is only allowed through licensed business platforms such as GrabHitch and RydePool, as well as other licence-exempt business platforms that have fleets of fewer than 800 vehicles.
Those found guilty of providing illegal carpooling matching services can be jailed for up to six months, fined up to $10,000, or both.
If convicted of providing illegal carpooling services without a vocational license, or using an unlicensed vehicle, an individual can be jailed for up to six months, fined up to $3,000, or both.
Members of the public who come across individuals providing illegal carpooling services may write to LTA or notify the agency through its OneMotoring portal.
