Requiring platform operators to report suspected illegal work among work group’s recommendations

SINGAPORE – A work group formed by the Government has released a raft of recommendations to stamp out illegal platform work and tackle other issues facing platform workers.

The recommendations unveiled on Sept 11 include requiring platform operators to notify the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) if they suspect foreigners of carrying out platform work, which can be done only by Singaporeans or permanent residents.

The group’s 10 recommendations aim to protect the livelihoods of Singapore’s roughly 67,600 regular platform workers, and champion fairer and more transparent payment structures and incentive schemes.

The group also suggested that platform operators conduct more regular and stringent identity checks on workers, and that the Government look into strengthening enforcement and increasing penalties for rule-breakers in the point-to-point transport sector.

The Government should also engage online platforms to take down apps, channels and advertisements that enable the matching of illegal rides, and strengthen its ability to block or remove such platforms, the group said.

At a press conference on Sept 11, Senior Minister of State for Transport Sun Xueling said tougher laws – with higher fines and longer jail terms – could be introduced.

“We will look at legislation that we already have, to see whether we need to strengthen them,” Ms Sun said. This includes the Point-to-Point Passenger Transport Industry Act and the Online Criminal Harms Act.

Right now, those caught offering illegal point-to-point services could be fined up to $3,000 or jailed for up to six months, or both.

Asked when laws would be amended, Ms Sun said the Government would have to discuss this with the Attorney-General’s Chambers. “We will try to move this along as quickly as possible.”

She did not specify what the tougher penalties could look like.

Formed in July to tackle the challenges faced by platform workers, the trilateral work group comprises MOM, the Ministry of Transport, the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and ride-hailing platform Grab.

The group said in a statement on Sept 11 that the recommendations would be adopted in phases by nine platform operators here, which account for 99 per cent of platform workers. The operators are Amazon Flex, ComfortDelGro Zig, Deliveroo, foodpanda, Gojek, Grab, Lalamove, Ryde and Tada.

Platform workers are those who contract with operators to provide services, primarily in ride-hailing and delivery. Their ranks here include private-hire car drivers working for companies such as Grab and Gojek, and delivery riders for services like foodpanda and Deliveroo.

The group was led by Ms Sun, Senior Minister of State for Manpower Koh Poh Koon, NTUC secretary-general Ng Chee Meng and Grab group managing director of operations Yee Wee Tang.

The Government, together with platform operators and three NTUC-affiliated platform work associations, should raise awareness of the dangers of using illegal ride-hailing services and the consequences of doing so, the group said in one of its recommendations.

For example, drivers of foreign-registered vehicles that offer trips across the border or within Singapore can put passengers at risk, as these vehicles do not have the proper licences or insurance coverage for passengers. They also affect the livelihoods of licensed taxi and private-hire car drivers.

The Land Transport Authority in August

acted on complaints about ride-hailing app inDrive

, which was removed from local app stores, as it was not licensed as a ride-hailing operator in Singapore.

inDrive is a ride-sharing and service platform where users can offer their desired fare for a ride or service, and then find a driver or service provider willing to accept that offer. The platform was allowing users here to book trips between Singapore and Johor.

Trips by local or foreign drivers that are arranged through informal channels such as messaging app Telegram also carry such risks.

Since July, enforcement at hot spots such as Singapore’s land checkpoints has netted 73 foreign-registered vehicles that provided services illegally.

“We are also considering banning those suspected of providing illegal point-to-point services from entering Singapore,” said Ms Sun.

On the issue of cross-border transport services, Ms Sun said discussions with Malaysia are continuing.

“We will expect, building on the cross-border taxi scheme, for there to be a user-friendly app interface, but there will be other details that we will need to work out,” she said.

Ms Sun added: “When these (foreign) vehicles are in Singapore, we have to be absolutely sure that they are simply providing a legal cross-border taxi service, and... not engaging in illegal point-to-point services.”

The group’s suggestion of setting up dedicated reporting channels for platform workers and the public to report foreigners flouting the rules has already been adopted.

Members of the public and platform workers can report the provision of illegal ride-hailing services by foreign-registered cars on the Land Transport Authority’s

OneMotoring website

. Those reporting foreigners suspected of doing platform work can do so on MOM’s

Report an Infringement webpage

.

While the group said operators, platform work associations and the Government should encourage workers and the public to report suspected illegal work, these individuals should not take it upon themselves to confront those suspected of such activity for their safety and that of others.

Between Jan 1, 2023, and June 30, 2025, MOM received an average of 50 complaints a year about potential illegal platform work. The majority of these complaints were unsubstantiated.

The group called on the Government to come down harder on illegal ride-hailing services and urged food delivery platform operators to improve the detection and prevention of illegal activities, such as by conducting more regular and stringent identity checks on delivery workers.

These platform operators that outsource delivery work should also check that the outsourced workers used are in the country legally.

Operators must also notify MOM if they suspect that platform workers are allowing foreigners to misuse their accounts to work here illegally.

MOM will investigate all reports of account misuse, and operators will ban such platform workers for at least 24 months if an offence is committed under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act.

This, said Dr Koh, will send a strong deterrent signal to those who intend to abuse their accounts.

Major platform operators already use facial recognition technology. Grab’s Mr Yee said the firm conducts nearly a million selfie verification checks each month, and of these, it investigates about 10 cases of potential account misuse.

“Our checks are randomised to make it difficult for people to bypass them, and additional checks are triggered when suspicious activities are detected,” Mr Yee said, adding that Grab plans to increase the frequency of these checks.

Although the group was formed on the back of calls by the labour movement to tackle the issue of foreigners doing delivery work illegally here, checks on the ground have found that this does not appear to be happening on a large scale.

Of 644 delivery workers checked in recent MOM enforcement operations, just four were found to be working illegally.

This allowed the authorities to understand the extent of the problem, which is smaller than what platform workers had perceived, Dr Koh and Mr Ng noted.

Still, these checks had two outcomes. “The recent checks would have sent a strong signal to the potentially illegal workers out there that this is not the space they should (enter),” said Dr Koh.

In addition to deterrence, Mr Ng said it was important to carry out checks to get a handle on the extent of the problem and give assurance to platform workers.

Payment structures, incentive schemes should be more transparent

The work group also urged platform operators to work with the platform work associations – the National Delivery Champions Association, the National Private Hire Vehicles Association and the National Taxi Association – to develop a set of industry-wide principles for issues related to payment or incentive schemes, or both.

Workers had raised concerns about opaque payment and incentive schemes, leading them to work long hours for an uncertain amount of pay.

Speaking in Parliament in September 2024, Dr Koh said the median income of a platform worker ranges from $1,500 to $2,500 a month.

In June, Grab was

forced to delay the roll-out of changes to its incentive schemes

after a backlash from drivers, who were worried that the changes would dent their earnings.

These anxieties around income uncertainty should be better addressed, including through regular meetings, the group suggested.

The platform work associations should also encourage workers to prioritise their health and safety, the group said.

Food delivery platform operators, added the group, should also clarify their outsourcing practices so as to assure platform workers and encourage the workers to fulfil orders in areas of high demand.