Singapore and Malaysia have announced new improvements to their cross-border taxi arrangement, aiming to make travel between the two countries much more user-friendly. Under the updated agreement, licensed cross-border taxis will be allowed to drop off passengers anywhere in their destination country, instead of being restricted to fixed terminals under the existing scheme. At the same time, the quota of licensed taxis will be gradually raised from 200 to 500 per country, with the first phase adding 100 taxis each, prioritising larger or premium vehicles suitable for families, groups or business travellers.
These changes come in response to growing commuter demand and widespread criticism that the existing scheme fails to meet travellers’ needs. Previously, cross-border taxis could only pick up or drop off passengers at one designated terminal – Ban San Street in Singapore or Larkin Sentral in Johor Bahru. Many potential users turned away from the legal option because it was just too inconvenient, especially compared with unlicensed ride-hail services offering door-to-door transport.
Beyond expanded drop-off flexibility and a larger fleet, the authorities also plan to increase the number of pick-up points in both countries – potentially enabling bookings via ride-hailing apps for licensed taxis – and improving safety with clearer taxi identification, tamper-proof licence plates and better insurance coverage.
The goal of these reforms is twofold: to better meet commuter demand for convenient, reliable cross-border transport – especially for families and elderly travellers – and to curb illegal, unlicensed cross-border taxi services that have proliferated in recent years.
