Three motorists fined, banned from driving for a year for providing illegal vehicle pooling services in Singapore

SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/ANN): Three men were each fined $1,800 and banned from driving for a year for providing illegal car and motorcycle pooling services, following enforcement operations by the Land Transport Authority (LTA).

They were all caught on May 3, 2023, and one of them became the first motorcyclist here to be convicted for conveying passengers for hire and reward.

One of the three, De Cruz Wayne Randall, 36, had transported a passenger from Compassvale Road to Kallang Leisure Park in a car for $12, that day.

Court documents showed he did not have a valid vocational licence at the time, while his car did not have a valid public service vehicle licence and could not be used for hire or reward.

While his vehicle was insured, the policy did not include third-party insurance when ferrying passengers.

On March 13, he pleaded guilty to one count of using an unlicensed public service vehicle under the Road Traffic Act, and one count of using a vehicle without insurance coverage under the Motor Vehicles (Third-Party Risks and Compensation) Act.

He was fined $1,800 and disqualified from holding or obtaining all classes of driving licences for a year.

In January, Muhammad Nasrulhaq Shamsulnizam, 21, received the same sentence for transporting a passenger in a car from Rivervale Drive to Thomson Plaza for a fare of $24.

The third man, Muhammad Hasbullah Rosly, 33, was spotted by an LTA enforcement officer next to his motorcycle at the drop-off point of Block 505D Yishun Street 51 on May 3.

Though Hasbullah claimed he was there to pick up a friend, it was found he did not know the passenger and was there to ferry the individual to ITE College West for $18.

He was sentenced in January.

The LTA said then it was the first case of a motorcyclist being convicted for conveying passengers for hire and reward here.

Those convicted of providing illegal carpooling services without a vocational licence, or using an unlicensed vehicle, can be jailed for up to six months, fined up to $3,000, or both.

In a statement, the LTA said that social carpooling between friends and colleagues is permitted, as are carpool rides facilitated via licensed platforms such as GrabHitch and RydePool or via permitted licence-exempt business platforms.

This is because the operators of such platforms maintain records of drivers and trips in the event of an incident.

They are also required to verify the validity of drivers’ licences and enforce a maximum of two car-pool journeys a day, LTA said.

Other forms of carpooling arrangements – such as those matched through Telegram chat groups – are not allowed and do not offer such commuter safeguards, the authority noted.

It added: “Motorcycles, regardless of the booking platform, are not legally permitted to be used to convey passengers for hire and reward due to safety risks.”

LTA added that since 2020, 14 motorists have been caught providing illegal carpooling or motorcycle-pooling services.

Of these, 10 drivers have been convicted, and they received fines ranging from $1,200 to $1,800, and were disqualified from holding or obtaining all classes of driving licences for 12 months.

Three cases are still pending before the courts, and investigations into the remaining case are ongoing.

Members of the public who encounter individuals providing illegal car- or motorcycle-pooling services can file a report with LTA via the contact form at https://www.lta.gov.sg/feedback.

They can also visit www.OneMotoring.lta.gov.sg to file a report to LTA via the e-service “Report Vehicle-Related Offences”. Commuters should provide the vehicle’s registration plate number (where possible), date, time and a brief account of the incident. – The Straits Times/ANN