Hailing taxis and choosing pickup points
Where taxis may be hailed or stop for passengers, the restrictions that apply around bus lanes and bus stops, and how taxi fares are structured compared with booked rides.
Primary source: https://www.lta.gov.sg/content/ltagov/en/getting_around/point_to_point_transport_and_cross_border_services/getting_a_ride.html
Hailing and pickup locations
Taxis can be booked by mobile app or telephone, or hailed on the road or at designated taxi stands and taxi stops. LTA says road hailing is available outside the Central Business District (CBD); designated stands, taxi stops and building driveways are the safest places to board or alight (LTA, Getting a Ride).
Taxis must not pick up or drop off passengers in a bus lane during its operating hours, within 9 metres of a bus stop, or where regulatory signs or road markings prohibit stopping. Within the CBD, taxis must follow the bus lane scheme, so they cannot pick up or drop off on roads with bus lanes while those lanes are operating. LTA also identifies specific roads where taxis must not stop; use its current CBD taxi-stand and road-restrictions list for those locations (LTA, Getting a Ride).
A private hire car is different: it cannot be hailed on the street and must be booked through an eligible ride-hailing operator. Follow the designated pickup point or driveway shown for the booking; private hire cars cannot use taxi stands to pick up or drop off passengers (LTA, Getting a Ride).
Cross-border taxi services
LTA says cross-border point-to-point services between Singapore and Malaysia are limited to licensed Singapore-registered and Malaysia-registered taxis. Private hire cars cannot provide cross-border point-to-point trips for hire or reward (LTA, Cross-Border Services).
A Singapore taxi licensed for cross-border service may pick up passengers anywhere in Singapore and drop them off in Johor Bahru, Iskandar Puteri, Forest City, Kulai or Senai. In Malaysia, it may accept a street hail at Johor Larkin Sentral without advance booking; ride-hail pickups are limited to the designated points at Toppen Shopping Centre, Mid Valley Southkey Mall and Angsana Mall. A licensed Malaysian taxi may pick up passengers anywhere in Malaysia and drop them off anywhere in Singapore. In Singapore, it may accept street-hail passengers at Ban San Street Terminal or ride-hail bookings at the designated points near VivoCity, Century Square or Joo Koon (LTA, Cross-Border Services).
Taxi fares
Taxi companies set their own fares. LTA describes four main components: a flag-down fare, distance- and time-based unit fares, surcharges, and booking fees. A street-hailed taxi trip is charged by the meter, and surcharges may apply. For rides booked through an app, operators may offer metered taxi trips or set a flat fare for a taxi or private hire car; the flat fare must be shown clearly in the app before the trip (LTA, Getting a Ride; LTA, Taxi Fares & Payment Methods).
Coverage debt
- The CBD restrictions list, cross-border designated pickup arrangements and operator fare schedules can change. This article does not reproduce the full CBD location list or individual operators' current fare amounts; check LTA's current links before a trip.