Johor bahru: The Road Transport Department (JPJ) has detained and seized four e-hailing vehicles registered in Singapore, driven by citizens of the republic, for carrying passengers without a valid permit. This action was part of the Special Op for Foreign Vehicle E-Hailing conducted around the city since August 9.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, JPJ director-general Datuk Aedy Fadly Ramli revealed that the vehicles involved were a Toyota Alphard, Toyota Vellfire, Toyota Hiace, and Honda Spada. These vehicles were detected transporting passengers from Singapore and other countries entering Malaysia via the Singapore route for tourism purposes. The inspection found that the vehicles did not possess a valid operator's license, were not registered as public service vehicles, and lacked Malaysian road tax.
The vehicles have been detained and seized under Section 80 of the Land Public Transport Act 2010 (APAD 2010) and are being investigated under Section 16(1) of the same act for operating public service vehicles without a valid operator's license. Datuk Aedy Fadly Ramli emphasized that there will be no compromises for illegal e-hailing vehicles operating in Malaysia, and the action will be taken to court for the process of confiscating the vehicles.
Also present at the press conference were JPJ senior enforcement director Muhammad Kifli Ma Hassan and Johor JPJ director Azmil Zainal Adnan. Initial investigations revealed that the drivers involved promoted their services via social media, WhatsApp, and Telegram applications, as well as stickers on vehicles. The travel charges were significantly higher than the permitted rates, with Singapore-Johor Bahru travel charges reaching S$180 (RM591) per person for one trip, while trips to Ipoh were recorded at up to S$1,200 (RM3,946) for a single trip.
The operation aims to prevent irresponsible parties from exploiting the system and to ensure passenger safety and the integrity of the country's transport system. The same operation will be expanded to other states. The public is encouraged to report such activities through the MyJPJ e-Aduan application or email [email protected].