Knowledge base Vehicle ownership Updated 21 Oct 2026 10 min read

Taxi rules, fares and driver duties in Singapore

How taxis differ from private-hire cars, who may operate and drive them, how metered fares and cross-border taxi services work, and where taxis may pick up or set down passengers.

taxi TDVL taximeter taxi-fares public-service-vehicle

Primary source: https://www.lta.gov.sg/content/ltagov/en/industry_innovations/industry_matters/regulations_licensing/taxi_private_hire_cars/taxi_service_operator_and_driver_licence.html

Taxi and private-hire car services

Singapore regulates taxi and private-hire car (PHC) services as distinct point-to-point transport options. A taxi may be hailed along roads where permitted, at a designated taxi stand or taxi stop, or booked; a PHC cannot be hailed on the street and must be booked through a licensed or exempt ride-hailing operator. LTA licenses street-hail taxi operators and requires taxi drivers to hold a valid Taxi Driver's Vocational Licence (TDVL) (LTA, Taxi Service Operator and Driver Licence; LTA, Getting a Ride).

The Road Traffic Act requires a vocational licence to drive a public service vehicle on a road, and prohibits employing or permitting an unlicensed person to do so. LTA states that a TDVL holder may provide chauffeured services using either a taxi or a PHC, while a Private Hire Car Driver's Vocational Licence (PDVL) holder may provide such services using a PHC only (Singapore Statutes Online, Road Traffic Act 1961, s. 110; OneMotoring, Vocational Licence Application).

General suspension orders affecting ride-hail drivers

The Road Traffic Act also allows the Registrar to issue a general suspension order covering participating bookable drivers of the same designated exempt ride-hail service operator. This is a specific statutory category, not a general suspension power over every ride-hail operator. The Registrar may make an order if one participating driver is convicted of a relevant offence while working through that operator and, in the 12 months before that offence, at least 2 other participating drivers of the same operator were each convicted of a relevant offence while working through it. The relevant offences are specified in section 110B and concern use of an unlicensed public service vehicle, driving without the required vocational licence, or compulsory motor insurance (Singapore Statutes Online, Road Traffic Act 1961, ss. 110A–110B).

For this decision, the Registrar may count an accepted composition offer as a conviction, but must disregard a conviction while an appeal remains available. The operator must first have a reasonable opportunity to be heard, and the order must also be given to it. An order addressed to drivers as a class is served by publication in a Singapore-circulating newspaper or other media likely to reach them, and on the Authority's website; it takes effect the day after both publication steps are completed. The specified blackout period cannot exceed 1 month. A covered driver who continues providing bookings facilitated by that operator during the blackout period commits an offence, and holding a vocational licence is not a defence (Singapore Statutes Online, Road Traffic Act 1961, ss. 110A–110B).

Metered fares and bookings

Taxi companies determine their fares independently. LTA describes four main components: a flag-down fare, distance- and time-based unit fares, surcharges, and booking fees. These amounts and conditions can differ by operator, so check LTA's live fare table and the relevant operator's terms rather than relying on a fixed national price (LTA, Taxi Fares & Payment Methods).

For a street-hail trip, the fare is charged by the meter; LTA says it is calculated based on distance travelled and surcharges may apply. On ride-hail bookings, operators may offer a metered-fare taxi trip or independently set a flat fare for a taxi or PHC trip; the flat fare must be shown clearly in the app before the trip (LTA, Getting a Ride).

A taxi used for hire must have an efficient taximeter of a type approved by the Registrar. The meter must be sealed, kept in good order, and adjusted to register the fare correctly; the taxi must display the approved fare table, or an approved link to that table. A taxi driver must start the meter only after all passengers have boarded and the driver has accepted the hiring (Singapore Statutes Online, Road Traffic (Public Service Vehicles) Rules, rr. 15–17 and 23; Singapore Statutes Online, Road Traffic (Public Service Vehicles) (Vocational Licences and Conduct of Drivers, Conductors, Trishaw Riders and Passengers) Rules, rr. 23–26 and Second Schedule).

Driver duties and passenger pick-up

Without reasonable excuse, a taxi driver must not refuse to hire out the taxi or convey a passenger for gain. Unless there is a reasonable cause to do otherwise, the driver must take the passenger's destination by the shortest and most direct route (Singapore Statutes Online, Road Traffic (Public Service Vehicles) (Vocational Licences and Conduct of Drivers, Conductors, Trishaw Riders and Passengers) Rules, rr. 23–26 and Second Schedule).

Taxi stopping restrictions depend on the road and time. Under the current Rules, taxis may not stop to pick up or set down passengers on roads listed in the Second Schedule during specified weekday periods, subject to stated exceptions such as designated taxi stops, P2P stops, taxi stands and building driveways; another scheduled zone permits stopping only at a taxi stop. Taxis may stop at a taxi stop or P2P stop to take up or set down passengers, goods or luggage, but may not park there or wait nearby while not hired or carrying a passenger for gain. At a railed queue, the driver must take the person at the head of the queue and that person's co-passengers (Singapore Statutes Online, Road Traffic (Public Service Vehicles) (Vocational Licences and Conduct of Drivers, Conductors, Trishaw Riders and Passengers) Rules, rr. 23–26 and Second Schedule).

LTA's passenger guidance also says taxis must not pick up or set down passengers in bus lanes during operating hours, within 9 metres of a bus stop, or where regulatory signs or road markings prohibit stopping. LTA identifies designated taxi stands, taxi stops and building driveways as the safest pick-up and drop-off locations (LTA, Getting a Ride).

Cross-border taxi trips

Cross-border point-to-point services between Singapore and Malaysia are limited to licensed Singapore-registered and Malaysia-registered taxis; PHCs may not provide cross-border point-to-point services for hire or reward. 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. It may pick up street-hail passengers at Johor Larkin Sentral, or take ride-hail bookings from three designated points in Malaysia: Toppen Shopping Centre, Mid Valley Southkey Mall and Angsana Mall (LTA, Cross-Border Services).

A Malaysia-registered taxi licensed for cross-border service may pick up passengers anywhere in Malaysia and drop them off anywhere in Singapore. It may take street-hail passengers at Ban San Street Terminal, or ride-hail bookings at designated pick-up/drop-off points near VivoCity, Century Square and Joo Koon. To enter Singapore for this service, its operator must obtain a Cross-border Taxi Permit before applying for the taxi driver's vocational licence and ASEAN Public Service Vehicle Permit (PSVP); the permit application is made through Malaysia's Agensi Pengangkutan Awam Darat (APAD). The annual application and renewal cycle starts in the first quarter, and new permits take effect on 1 April. After obtaining the permit and driver licence, apply for the PSVP and/or Autopass card at least 2 weeks before entry (LTA, Cross-Border Services; OneMotoring, Buses, Taxis and Goods Vehicles Registered in ASEAN Countries).

Coverage debt

Operator fare tables and surcharges can change; this article explains the fare structure and links to LTA's current table instead of preserving a dated price list. Rule 26's Second Schedule contains location-specific road restrictions; consult the current legislation for the full road list and exceptions. This article does not reproduce the individual taxi operator's booking, payment or service terms.

It does not list current cross-border taxi fares or the complete vehicle-entry document checklist for Malaysia-registered taxis. Consult LTA's live cross-border service information and the foreign-registered-vehicle guide before travel.