Grab received Singapore’s first cross-border taxi licence on April 30, giving passengers a new way to book taxi rides between Singapore and Malaysia through its app. The three-year permit takes effect immediately, while the enhanced Cross-Border Taxi Scheme starts on May 4.
The Land Transport Authority said the move will give commuters “greater convenience and more transport options for commuters between Singapore and Malaysia.” Grab said its new Cross-Border SG-JB (beta) pilot will let riders book door-to-door trips 12 hours to seven days ahead.
GrabCar licence
The Land Transport Authority awarded GrabCar the inaugural Cross-border Ride-hail Service Operator Licence, making it the first operator to hold that permit. The licence allows passengers to book cross-border taxi services through Grab’s platform, extending the company’s app into a route that has been handled through more limited booking channels.
Grab said some GrabCab drivers are licensed to support cross-border journeys, and that it is onboarding licensed cross-border taxis from GrabCab and other taxi operators. For riders, that means the service will not depend on a single fleet. It will pull from more than one licensed source as the scheme opens.
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May 4 taxi rules
From May 4, licensed operators can offer cross-border taxi services through their platforms under the enhanced scheme. Cross-border taxis will be allowed to drop off passengers anywhere in Singapore and in Johor Bahru, Iskandar Puteri, Forest City, Kulai and Senai.
Home country pickups will be without restrictions. Foreign-registered taxis will be barred from street-hailing and will rely entirely on ride-hail and e-hailing bookings to secure return fares at three new designated hubs in each country.
Yeo Wan Ling response
Yeo Wan Ling, NTUC assistant secretary-general and adviser to the National Taxi Association, welcomed Grab’s licence and the broader framework as “protection for platform workers’ livelihoods.” Her response places labour groups inside a rollout that is being closely watched because the new rules also add prominent roof-top signs, distinct cross-border taxi identification decals and specific licence plate prefixes.
The framework also includes digital and visual enforcement. Malaysian taxis will have to install Singapore’s ERP 2.0 on-board units, and vehicles will face a strict 10-year age limit. For passengers, the practical change is immediate: the service can now be booked in advance, while the May 4 scheme sets the terms for where licensed taxis may drop off and how return trips are arranged.
