PUBLISHED ONJanuary 13, 2026 1:50 PMBYSean LerSingapore's Land Transport Authority (LTA) has impounded another 10 foreign-registered vehicles for illegally ferrying passengers across the Singapore-Malaysia border.
The recent round of enforcement operation brings the total number of such vehicles impounded since July 2025 to 162.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday (Jan 13), LTA said the drivers were nabbed at land checkpoints and areas such as Bedok Reservoir. It added that more than 3,000 vehicles have been checked since July 2025.
Weighing in on the recent enforcement, Senior Minister of State for Transport Sun Xueling reiterated that passenger safety and the livelihoods of Singaporean drivers are of "utmost importance" to the authorities.
She also urged travellers to only engage legal transport services.
"While we continue to work closely with our Malaysian counterparts on enhancing cross-border travel, we urge travellers to only engage legal cross-border transport services to meet their travel needs.
"Travellers can be picked up anywhere in Singapore, with drop-offs at Larkin Sentral Terminal in Johor through licensed cross-border taxi services currently provided by ComfortDelGro, Strides Premier, Trans-Cab and Prime," Sun said.
In a written response to a parliamentary question by MP Poh Li San (Sembawang West SMC), Acting Minister for Transport Jeffrey Siow on Tuesday said that recent enhancements to the cross-border taxi scheme aim to benefit travellers, while facilitating fairer competition between drivers in both countries.
Poh had asked if the ministry has measures in place to address concerns by Singaporean taxi and private-hire drivers regarding intensified competition from Malaysian taxis offering cheaper fares due to lower operating costs, and empty return trips.
Siow acknowledged that while it was not possible to equalise the operational costs between Singaporean and Malaysian taxis, his ministry is working on measures to make cross-border trips more viable for Singaporean taxi drivers.
"For example, only local taxis are allowed to pick up passengers from any point in their home country, while foreign taxis can only pick up passengers from designated pick-up points.
"This will allow our taxi drivers to better meet demand for cross-border trips starting in Singapore," Siow said.
He also shared that there are plans to increase the number of ride-hail pick-up points to include more frequented locations, adding that the improved convenience can bolster demand for return trips to Singapore.
LTA will also require licensed cross-border taxis to install Singapore's on-board unit for entry into the country, Siow added.
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