No go: Aedy Fadly (right) and senior enforcement director Muhammad Kifli Ma Hassan inspecting a seized Singapore-registered vehicle after a press conference in Johor Baru.
JOHOR BARU: Singapore-registered drivers, who are not allowed to offer e-hailing rides into Malaysia, are openly advertising such services, charging as much as S$180 (RM591) per person for a trip to Johor Baru.
These illegal e-hailing operators usually promote their services on social media as well as WhatsApp and Telegram messaging apps, offering rides to various destinations, said Road Transport Department (JPJ) director-general Datuk Aedy Fadly Ramli.
“A one-way trip from Singapore to Johor Baru Sentral could cost up to S$180 per person, while a ride to Legoland Malaysia could go up to S$200 (RM657).
“They also offer rides to destinations out of Johor. A trip from Singapore to Ipoh could cost almost S$1,200 (RM3,942),” he said.
The fares of these illegal operators were significantly higher than licensed car rental companies, he told a press conference at the Johor JPJ headquarters on Thursday night.
Aedy Fadly said that four Singapore-registered vehicles, including a van and luxury multipurpose vehicles, have been seized by JPJ in its first special operations starting Aug 9 to deal with such operators.
“They were found ferrying mostly Singaporean and foreign passengers for tourism purposes. They have been involved in such activities for quite some time,” he added.
“The drivers, in their 30s and 40s, were without a Malaysian road tax or public service vehicle registration.”
He said the drivers, who do not have permits to operate e-hailing services in Malaysia, would only have their Singapore e-hailing sticker on their windshield.
“These operators have no approval from the Malaysian government, Land Public Transport Agency or JPJ to operate here,” he said, adding that the enforcement was aimed at protecting passenger safety.
“In the event of an accident in Malaysia, it could have serious consequences for the passengers, the driver and even relations between both countries.”
Asked if the crackdown was in response to Singapore’s recent enforcement against Malaysian e-hailing drivers, Aedy Fadly denied it, saying that it was Singapore’s Land Transport Authority’s (LTA) right to carry out its duty.
“The operation conducted by JPJ has a different modus operandi, not as a reaction to LTA’s operations,” he said.
He said that JPJ would continue conducting targeted operations in several hotspots before expanding to surrounding areas.
“Any foreign e-hailing vehicle operating in Malaysia without a permit will face firm action from now on,” he added.
The action was taken under Section 80 of the Land Public Transport Act, with investigations under Section 61 of the same Act for operating without a valid licence, he said, adding that JPJ would seek court action to forfeit the vehicles.
He also urged the public to report violations through the MyJPJ e-Aduan application or by emailing aduantrafik@jpj.gov.my with supporting evidence.
