M'sian-registered car spotted dropping off passengers in Pasir Ris, reported to LTA by S'pore PHV driver
Passengers were seen alighting from a white Malaysian-registered vehicle at Block 209 Pasir Ris Street 21, prompting a report to the Land Transport Authority (LTA).
A video of the incident was posted in the Professional PHV Drivers Singapore Facebook group by Jahangir Ibrahim on Nov 22.
The 50-second clip shows the white Toyota Vellfire, bearing the licence plate JVS57, parked at the foot of an HDB block as a family of three gets out of the car, with one passenger rolling a piece of luggage.
A man in a red button-up shirt and black vest is then seen exiting the car. He appears to hand cash to someone in the group, before helping to close the door and returning to the car.
The post also included a screenshot of LTA's automatic acknowledgement after a report was lodged about an "illegal ride hail by Malaysia vehicle", stating that officers are looking into the matter.
It is unclear from the screenshot if the report was to do with the vehicle in the video. It's also unclear where the video was taken.
Stomp has reached out to Jahangir Ibrahim for more information.
Authorities crack down on illegal ride-hailing
A new reporting platform was launched on July 20 for members of the public to report suspected illegal ride-hailing services, and submissions will be used by the agency for investigations.
In an Instagram post, Senior Minister of State for Transport Sun Xueling said LTA has stepped up enforcement actions against foreign-registered vehicles providing such services.
"Over 2,000 vehicles have been checked and 131 vehicles impounded to date," she wrote in a Nov 20 update.
Under the Road Traffic Act, offenders may face a fine of up to $3,000, jailed for up to six months, or both. Their vehicle may also be forfeited.
Public urges authorities to respond
In the comments, some netizens said they had witnessed similar cases and called on the authorities to investigate, describing such acts as "wrong and illegal".
"I report five daily," one netizen claimed. "I know of Malaysians doing rides from Ang Mo Kio to Tengah for S$10."
Others defended the drivers, saying they were simply "making a living" and providing a "necessary and convenient service".
One commenter said they had previously been wrongly accused of operating illegal rides when they were merely sending a family member to the airport.
"Why make life difficult for others?" one commenter asked.
