SINGAPORE/MALAYSIA: Singapore and Malaysia are moving ahead with a fresh wave of improvements to make cross-border travel smoother, safer, and more convenient — while tightening enforcement against illegal ride services. The updates were announced after both countries’ Transport Ministers met yesterday to review ongoing plans to strengthen land transport connectivity.
Both sides agreed that demand for cross-border travel continues to grow, and travellers need more reliable and legitimate options. To meet these needs, several enhancements have been lined up.
One notable change is that foreign taxis will soon be allowed to drop off passengers anywhere outside their home country. This is different to the status quo, where they are limited to designated terminals. New designated pick-up points will also be created to support ride-hail and e-hailing bookings, giving commuters more flexibility and helping drivers operate legally. Work is already underway to develop a proper regulatory regime for cross-border ride-hailing platforms, something commuters have been asking for amid a rise in informal arrangements.
Another point that both countries touched on is the improvement of insurance coverage for cross-border taxis. This is to help protect both drivers and passengers, particularly during longer cross-border travels. To expand capacity, the current quota of licensed cross-border taxis will increase by 100, which was an increase from 200 to 300 per country. Priority will be given to larger and more premium vehicles. The plan is to gradually raise this number to 500 in the future.
At the same time, both governments will introduce measures to support enforcement against illegal domestic point-to-point trips, which continue to be a concern on both sides of the border. Regulations for cross-border bus services will also be aligned to make bus travel a more attractive and efficient option for commuters.
One way to help address this is by requiring these taxis to have distinct livery and tamper-proof vehicle registration plates with a predefined prefix and a topper. Licensed taxis must also have an ERP-2 on-board unit before they are able to enter Singapore. These are some measures that both countries discussed to help better regulate this new agreement.
How netizens reacted
Online reactions poured in quickly, expressing a healthy dose of scepticism and some queries they wanted to clear up. One Facebook user questioned the timing of these expansions, saying, “[Our] own country’s MRT already can’t manage, [and yet we] still want to manage the RTS cross-border service,” pointing to ongoing worries about local rail reliability.
Another commenter asked a question many seemed to be thinking: “[Is it] open to Grab app?” — a sign of how much travellers rely on ride-hailing platforms today.
Some netizens raised concerns about fairness in licensing, with one saying, “Those private operators will still be unhappy cause they don’t get the licence.” This comment is likely suggesting that not everyone will be satisfied with the stricter regulatory structure since only a select few will be afforded the right to legally bring passengers across the border.
Others focused on improving travel efficiency. A suggestion came from a user who wrote, “Please allow cross-border taxi to use bus lane, regardless if it’s a foreign or Singapore government taxi,” hoping to speed up journeys that often face heavy congestion. The feasibility of this suggestion remains uncertain, however, it is commendable that even online, people want to provide solutions to help improve their daily commutes.
These changes mark one of the most significant efforts in recent years to refresh the rules governing travel between Singapore and Malaysia — with the shared goal of making trips across the Causeway and Second Link smoother, safer and better regulated for all.
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