Migrant workers have been using an illegal transport service provided by lorry drivers to commute about 4km to their dormitories in Kranji Way from Kranji MRT station, due to a lack of bus services in the area...

Workers returning from their day off on Sunday after 7.40pm say they have to rely on lorry drivers who charge them $2 for a one-way ride from Kranji MRT to their dormitories...

Migrant worker Gunasegran, who declined to give his full name, told The Straits Times that his employer does not provide transportation from the station to the dormitory, where he is a resident.

“What choice do I have? I’m already tired, and I don’t want to walk in the dark for 4.5km to get to my dorm,” he said...

Mr Sivakumar, who is also a resident of the dorm, said a taxi ride at night from the station can cost as much as $10...

“When planning bus services, LTA balances serving as many commuters as possible with factors such as ridership and financial prudency,” said a spokesman, who added that the authority will continue to monitor commuter travel patterns and make appropriate adjustments to bus service provision where viable...

LTA said it is an offence to use a goods vehicle to transport workers who are not in the employment of the owner or hirer of the vehicle. A first-time offender can face a maximum fine of $1,000 or jail term of up to three months, or both...

Maxicab director Mohamed Ali said: “We offer a six-day transportation service, and we also offer pick-ups on workers’ days off. But there have been no takers for the latter.

“Most of the employers said, ‘Never mind, just pick them up only on work days.’”...

Mr Ali said workers’ transportation costs, including on their days off, should be included when tendering for projects.

Mr Bernard Tay, chairman of the Singapore Road Safety Council, said employers “cannot just leave migrant workers at the bus stop and hope for the best”, or let them “return on their own to the dormitories on the freelance lorries”...