Outdated rules leave licensed Singapore-Johor taxi drivers idling as demand surges

SINGAPORE, Aug 8 — More than three decades after Singapore and Malaysia set the rules for cross-border taxis, the system is showing its age.

Strict limits on pick-up points and licensing rules mean many drivers spend hours waiting for passengers despite strong demand for Causeway travel, Singapore-based news outlet CNA reported today.

“It’s like we’re still operating in the 1980s while everything else has moved on,” Singapore taxi driver Haniff Mahbob was quoted as saying.

Under current regulations, Singapore taxis can only pick up passengers from the Ban San Street terminal in Johor Bahru and drop them anywhere in Singapore.

Malaysian taxis are only allowed to pick up from Singapore’s Queen Street terminal and drop passengers anywhere in Johor.

Drivers say these restrictions leave them with empty return trips and wasted fuel.

They argue that allowing cross-border pick-ups anywhere within each city could improve efficiency and earnings.

​​Senior Minister of State for Transport Sun Xueling (in white top) speaks with ICA and LTA officers at Woodlands Checkpoint. — Picture from Facebook/Sun Xueling

Some commuters agree, saying the current system is inconvenient and outdated.

“The rules don’t match how people travel today,” Malaysian driver Roslan Mahmod told CNA.

According to CNA’s observations, the rules, set in the 1970s and updated in the 1990s, have remained largely unchanged despite rising cross-border travel

Officials from Singapore and Malaysia have said they are open to discussing improvements but have not given a timeline.

Calls for change are growing louder as more people cross the Causeway daily for work, shopping and leisure.