Going to JB with GrabHitch JB-SG is now free because LTA said…

Last Updated on 2016-06-27 , 9:42 am

About a week ago, Singaporeans were greeted with one of the best news ever: GrabHitch, part of the Grab group, is offering carpooling service from Singapore to JB. Known as GrabHitch JB-SG, the passenger has to pay about $9 to $14 to get to JB in the comfort of a car.

Initially reported to be available from 20 June 2016 onwards, it got Singaporeans excited—what better way to get to JB with a carpooling service? Moreover, with this, it will make the border between Singapore and Malaysia slightly less congested, right?

Well, it appears that we were all happy too early.

LTA has spoken and did not give the go-ahead. According to The Straits Times, a spokesperson from LTA has this to say: “Malaysian registered cars are not allowed to provide hire and reward services in Singapore without a public service vehicle licence. Malaysian regulations also do not permit Singaporean registered cars to do the same in Malaysia without a public service vehicle licence… Grab should ensure that any cross-border car-pool service does not contravene Singaporean or Malaysian regulations.”

Under Section 101 of Singapore Road Traffic Act, anyone operating an unlicensed public service vehicle could be fined up to $3,000 or jailed up to six months.

In view of this, Grab changed its original plan to make it free for three weeks, just so to test the system. According to Grab’s spokesperson, they will “test out the model and engage with the LTA in Singapore and regulatory authorities in Malaysia on the use of carpooling solutions to improve connectivity between Singapore and Johor Bahru.”

The fare-free programme will end on 8 July 2016, and there has been no word on the plans after that.

As carpooling for free is considered a “help” without monetary incentive, LTA does allow the fare-free carpool to operate.

Here’s the thing: would there be drivers who are willing to give free rides? Many have mentioned that they liked the service because it allowed them to “make more friends”—now, let’s see whether that’s just lip service.

Carpooling in Singapore, if it involves monetary incentive for the driver, must follow a strict set of regulations. Firstly, the drivers aren’t allowed to solicit for passengers. Secondly, they can only make a total of two carpool trips a day.

With cars getting more expensive in Singapore, carpooling service has been on the rise. RYDE, a local carpool app, raised $1.5 million from investors late last year. Despite the relatively small local market, there are three key players in the industry: RYDE, GrabHitch and SwiftBack.

Of course, there are also several questions to answer in a carpooling service from Singapore to Malaysia: firstly, who’s going to pay the toll fees? Secondly, what if the driver or passenger are denied entry for some reason (e.g. forget to bring travel documents)?  Thirdly, and most importantly, are the fees based on per person or per trip?

Whatever is the case, let’s wait until 8 July 2016 before we cheer again.

This article was first published on goodyfeed.com