Latest news with #safetyrisks
CNA
12-07-2025
- Automotive
- CNA
22 drivers nabbed for providing illegal ride-hailing services in Singapore, to and from Malaysia
SINGAPORE: The Land Transport Authority (LTA) caught 22 drivers for providing illegal ride-hailing services within Singapore and to or from Malaysia, and impounded their vehicles, it said on Saturday (Jul 12). The drivers were booked at Changi Airport and Gardens by the Bay in an operation on Friday, following tip-offs from the National Private Hire Vehicles Association and members of the public, LTA said in a Facebook post. It added that commuters should not use such services as they lack proper insurance, pose safety risks to passengers and affect the livelihoods of licensed drivers. In response to queries from CNA, an LTA spokesperson said that only licensed providers from both Singapore and Malaysia can provide cross-border services, with each country given a quota of 200 taxis for such services. There are close to 300 Singapore- and Malaysia-registered taxis currently licensed for such services, added the spokesperson. Licensed taxis must use designated pick-up and drop-off points – the Ban San Street terminal in Singapore and Larkin Sentral in Johor – when outside their home country, but can take and alight passengers anywhere within their home country. "This arrangement ensures that foreign taxis do not ply the roads illegally to provide point-to-point services outside their home country," said the spokesperson. LTA said it will continue to take "firm action" against illegal point-to-point services, including illegal cross-border transport services. CROSS-BORDER TRANSPORT SERVICES Under the Road Traffic Act, all vehicles, including foreign-registered ones, must have a valid Public Service Vehicle Licence (PSVL) to provide taxi or chauffeured private-hire car (PHC) services. Offenders may be fined up to S$3,000 (US$2,340) or given a six-month jail term, or both. They may also have to forfeit their vehicles. Since 2022, 94 drivers have been caught providing illegal cross-border passenger transport services using foreign-registered vehicles, and all had their vehicles impounded, said the LTA spokesperson. "It is illegal for Malaysia-registered private cars or PHCs to provide cross-border or ride-hail services within Singapore," added the spokesperson. Besides a PSVL, Malaysia-registered taxis must also obtain an ASEAN Public Service Vehicle Permit to operate across borders. In a Facebook post on LTA's operation, Senior Minister of State for Transport Sun Xueling said: "Foreign-registered vehicles providing illegal private-hire car services harm the livelihoods of our local taxi and private-hire car drivers." She added that LTA will increase the coverage and frequency of its enforcement actions against such illegal services, and that it will not hesitate to push for heavier fines or to impound vehicles used for such services or seek their forfeiture.
Malay Mail
12-07-2025
- Malay Mail
Singapore cracks down on illegal ride hailing at Changi and Gardens by the Bay, 22 drivers caught for offering ride to Malaysia
SINGAPORE, July 12 — Singapore's Land Transport Authority (LTA) said today it booked 22 drivers for providing illegal ride-hailing services at Changi Airport and Gardens by the Bay, following tip-offs from the National Private Hire Vehicles Association and members of the public. The enforcement operation, which took place yesterday, also saw the impoundment of the vehicles involved in the unauthorised transport of passengers across the border to Malaysia and also within Singapore. 'Commuters should avoid using such illegal services. They lack proper insurance and pose safety risks to passengers. They also affect the livelihoods of licensed drivers,' the LTA said in a Facebook. The authority added it would continue firm enforcement against illegal point-to-point transport, including cross-border services operating without a valid Public Service Vehicle Licence. Under Singaporean law, those convicted of providing unauthorised ride-hailing services face fines of up to S$3,000 (RM9,960), imprisonment of up to six months, or both. Their vehicles may also be forfeited under current regulations. In December last year, the LTA said it arrested 12 drivers for offering illegal ride-hailing services within Singapore and to Malaysia. The LTA said that their foreign-registered vehicles were also impounded during the operation at Changi Airport. It stated that only Singapore- and Malaysia-registered taxis approved by LTA and Malaysia's Land Public Transport Agency can provide cross-border rides, with Malaysia-registered taxis also requiring an Asean public service vehicle permit. These licensed taxis can only operate at the Ban San Street Terminal in Rochor and cannot offer point-to-point rides in Singapore to ensure fairness for local drivers, according to the Singapore Ministry of Transport and LTA.
CNA
11-06-2025
- CNA
Police investigating possible case of track trespassing, SMRT warns of severe safety risks after video emerged
SINGAPORE: The police are investigating after a video surfaced online that looked like it was filmed on an MRT track between Simei and Tanah Merah stations. In response to CNA's queries on Wednesday (Jun 11), SMRT Trains' president Lam Sheau Kai said that the operator is aware of the video circulating on social media. It has made a police report, he added. The footage was captured between the two stations, where nearby construction works are ongoing for new viaducts connecting to the future East Coast Integrated Depot. In the video, a person on the track filmed an oncoming train with passengers onboard. After it passes him, he then crosses the tracks. Mr Lam said: "We take a serious view of this incident, as track trespassing poses severe safety risks. "Such reckless actions not only endanger the individual but can also cause service disruptions, affecting many commuters. "When emergency brakes are applied, there is also a risk of causing injury to commuters onboard the train." He said that SMRT is cooperating with the police in their investigations.
CNA
11-06-2025
- CNA
SMRT makes police report over video taken on train tracks
SINGAPORE: Train operator SMRT has made a police report after a video was filmed on MRT tracks between Simei and Tanah Merah stations. In response to queries from CNA on Wednesday (Jun 11), SMRT Trains president Lam Sheau Kai said the company is aware of the video circulating on social media. The footage was captured between the two stations, where nearby construction works are ongoing for new viaducts connecting to the future East Coast Integrated Depot. In the video, a person on the tracks filmed an oncoming train with passengers onboard. After it passes him, he then crosses the tracks. "We take a serious view of this incident, as track trespassing poses severe safety risks," Mr Lam said. "Such reckless actions not only endanger the individual but can also cause service disruptions, affecting many commuters. "When emergency brakes are applied, there is also a risk of causing injury to commuters onboard the train." He said that SMRT is cooperating with the police in their investigations. CNA has contacted the police for more information.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Scottish 'pipeline pilgrims' cycle 170 miles to highlight carbon capture fears
A group of pensioners have cycled 170 miles along the route of a proposed carbon pipeline to highlight potential safety risks. Trekking from Grangemouth to St Fergus in Aberdeenshire earlier this month, the 'North Sea Knitters' are raising concerns over a controversial carbon capture scheme. The women say there are serious risks associated with the project, which will use a decades-old pipeline to transport the carbon dioxide gas. Bridget Cooper, one of the North Sea Knitters, said: 'I have always been uncomfortable with the plan to make a new gas fired power station somehow tick green boxes by attaching the really dodgy and unproven carbon capture to it. 'But I was shocked when I learnt that part of that plan was pushing CO2 from Grangemouth to Peterhead through an old pipeline.' Carbon dioxide generated at industrial sites across Scotland will be transported via pipeline to the St Fergus energy terminal, several miles north of Peterhead. It will then be stored deep below the North Sea in a bid to reduce emissions. The women cycled through a number of coastal towns. (Image: Friends of the Earth Scotland)Cooper added: 'We wondered if people living along the pipeline knew about this plan and if they knew that leaks from a CO2 pipeline in the US had hospitalised people. 'So we thought, let's travel the pipeline and let people know. Walking was not possible with my old arthritic knees, so biking it had to be. 'I really loved chatting with people and giving them some basic information as we pedalled along.' The group of 'craftivists' left Grangemouth on May 3. Travelling along the route of the pipeline over the next five days, the group passed through Stirling, Perth, Forfar, Stonehaven, Aberdeen and Peterhead, before reaching their final destination in St Fergus. According to the 'pipeline pilgrims', their activism was spurred into motion after reading about the rupture of a carbon dioxide pipeline in Mississippi. In 2020, 40 people were sent to hospital with CO2 poisoning and hundreds were evacuated from their homes after 31,000 barrels of the liquefied natural gas was released into the air. Energy companies are keen to construct a new gas plant in Peterhead. (Image: Friends of the East Scotland) Friends of the Earth Scotland oil and gas activism officer Freya Aitchison praised the efforts of the activists. She said: 'It's great that the Knitters have been getting out there and talking to the people who will be impacted by these plans. 'Communities must be meaningfully consulted about what a carbon pollution pipeline could mean and the risks to which they will be exposed. 'Carbon capture is a greenwashing excuse that the fossil fuel industry uses to fool politicians into supporting more drilling and burning. 'These companies have put us all at risk from climate breakdown and now they want to run a dangerous pipeline through the heart of Scottish communities up the east coast.' The Knitters previously staged a 'knit in' in oil company offices and the Court of Session, interrupted the SSE's AGM, and met with the First Minister. Read more from Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco: Political parties barred from Glasgow Pride in wake of Supreme Court ruling Glasgow Pride criticised over ties to Israel-linked companies Is there a place for religion in the assisted dying debate? Pope Leo welcome to visit Scotland — but should go to COP30 first, says charity Protesting outside the Scottish Parliament last autumn, Knitter Chris Aldred told The North Edinburgh News: "Knitting symbolises the hope that we can pass on, not just our skills, but a thriving future for all that come after us. 'The Scottish Government says that climate is a priority but it must turn these words into concrete action to cut pollution now and into the future. 'This means using its power to firmly reject new fossil fuels, standing up to the oil industry and prioritising the needs of workers through the transition.' Friends of the Earth Scotland have long criticised plans by SSE to build a new gas burning energy plant outside Peterhead. The plant, which would produce 910 MW of electricity, would be built alongside the existing power plant; which was Scotland's largest polluter between 2018 and 2020, as well as 2022, when it emitted 1.35 million tonnes of CO2. A diagram of how carbon capture works. (Image: Derek McArthur) A carbon capture facility on the site is expected to be built by energy giant Equinor. The new plant could open as early as 2027, and would be operational until at least 2059. Last autumn, more than 13,000 people signed a petition opposing the proposed build. Previous attempts at developing carbon capture facilities in the region, in 2007 and 2016, were unsuccessful. On their website, SSE Thermal has praised the project, writing: "The Peterhead site in Aberdeenshire is ideally placed for carbon capture technology, with access to essential CO2 transport and storage infrastructure. "The Acorn CO2 Storage Site, which will be used by the Scottish Cluster to safely store CO2, is located about 100km offshore in rock formations deep below the North Sea."
