LTA has charged one driver and issued warnings to 19 others who were involved in using unlicensed private cars or private hire cars to ply illegally for fares. The driver was flagged by a Joverst Lee in March last year for pretending to be a Uber driver and overcharging his family for a ride in his car.
Uber later clarified that the driver was not registered in its platform and the police subsequently arrested the 29-year-old driver and impounded his car. LTA also commenced investigations after receiving police reports lodged against the driver for using it as a public service vehicle and charging exorbitant fares. The man had charged fees of between $30 and $1,050 for rides.
The driver was eventually charged with the following charges:
- 10 charges for using a vehicle as an unlicensed public service vehicle in contravention of Section 101(1) of the Road Traffic Act, Cap 276; and
- 10 charges for driving a vehicle without valid insurance in force in contravention of Section 3(1) of the Motor Vehicles (Third-Party Risks and Compensation) Act, Cap 189.
On 14 January 2016, the driver pleaded guilty to all charges against him. He was convicted and fined a total amount of $15,000 (in default 50 days’ imprisonment). In addition, he was disqualified from holding all classes of driving licence for 1 year.
After the conviction, LTA sought AGC’s approval to forfeit the motor car SJT1444Y under S101(7) of the Road Traffic Act, Cap 276, as it was used for the commission of the offences.