News

We refer to Mr Ng Li Meng's feedback ( ) on the process to report cases of fare evasion. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) and the Public Transport Council (PTC) take cases of fare evasion seriously and we have an established process for assisting drivers. Operators will first attempt to recover the fares on behalf of their drivers, failing which the cases may be referred to LTA and PTC for follow-up. Cases of fare evasion vary in complexity. For example, for those where the passengers are unable to be identified, it will be challenging to track them down to recover the unpaid fares. For the case Mr Ng reported, the investigating officer from LTA was able to track down the offender and recover the fare. Mr Ng's case was reported to the LTA call centre on Sept 7. When LTA contacted him on Sept 9, Mr Ng indicated that he would like to report the case in person and did not provide case details over the phone. An appointment was arranged for him to provide the details in person on Sept 12. However, the appointment was subsequently cancelled, as the investigation officer managed to obtain the facts of the case from Mr Ng via phone. Restitution was made to Mr Ng on Sept 19, following our investigations. For drivers who come across any fare evasion cases, we stand ready to assist. Non-payment of street-hail or ride-hail fares is an offence under the Public Transport Council Act. A person guilty of an offence is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $1,000, and where the person is a repeat offender, to a fine not exceeding $2,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months, or to both. Prosecution action may be taken against offenders and, particularly, those who refuse to make restitution of the unpaid fare. Deputy Group Director, Public Transport Land Transport Authority Director, Policy & Regulation Public Transport Council