Singapore to match new Causeway toll hikes 'within weeks': LTA
[UPDATED on Saturday 2 Aug, 8:30 am: Latest statement by Land Transport Authority]
Singapore is set to match the new increased Causeway toll charges by Malaysia that kicked in on Friday "within the next few weeks", said the Land Transport Authority.
"As details of Malaysia's toll revisions were not made known earlier, the LTA would need some time to operationalise the changes," said an LTA spokesman, who added that if Malaysia reduced or scrapped the new toll charges, Singapore would follow suit.
It is a long-standing practice that Singapore woud peg its toll prices at the Causeway and Second Link to those set by Malaysia, added the LTA.
On Friday, vehicles from Singapore entering Johor via the Causeway in Woodlands had to pay RM9.70 ($3.80), a more than three-fold increase over the previous RM2.90 ($1.10). In addition, vehicles entering Singapore from JB had to pay a new RM6.80 ($2.70) charge.
Buses will now have to pay a toll of RM13.30 at the Johor Bharu checkpoint in Malaysia for a round trip, a more than five-fold increase from the previous RM2.30.
The new charges triggered massive traffic jams which disrupted the morning rush-hour at the Malaysia-Singapore border.
Images on social media showed dozens of Malaysia-registered buses used for ferrying workers and students into Singapore standing stationary at the Johor Bahru city checkpoint in southern Malaysia.
Thousands of factory workers, schoolchildren and tourists were also forced to walk across the one-kilometre Causeway, after two Malaysian bus drivers refused to drive into Singapore, leaving their vehicles at the Johor CIQ complex which blocked traffic for over three hours.
The new toll charges come on top of a proposed new Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) from both countries. Malaysia is proposing a VEP fee of RM50 (S$19.50) for all Singapore-registered vehicles entering Johor. This after Singapore's LTA said it is raising its VEP on foreign vehicles entering the Republic from S$20 to S$35 for a daily permit, starting this Friday. The Ministry of Transport said the hike was to "equalise" the cost of owning and using foreign-registered vehicles on Singapore roads.
Malaysia’s Deputy Transport Minister Abdul Aziz Kaprani said last week that Prime Minister Najib Razak agreed to the implementation of the Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) fee on foreign-registered vehicles entering Johor Bahru via the Second Link towards Gelang Patah as well as Woodlands Checkpoint.
Malaysia’s transport minister will implement it by end of the year and that RM 50 (S$19.50)” was a “reasonable” amount for Singaporeans, given the country’s favourable exchange rate, , reported TODAY.
The decision to go ahead with the VEP on foreign-registered vehicles entering Malaysia from Tuas and Woodlands occurred weeks after Singapore’s Land Transport Authority announced a toll hike on foreign cars entering the city-state from Malaysia. These foreign cars mainly consist of Malaysia-registered vehicles, whose drivers commute to Singapore regularly for work.
Over 310,000 commuters travel between Singapore and Malaysia daily through the two land crossings, according to the Malaysian government, reports the AFP.
Singaporeans frequent Johor Bharu on weekends for tourism, dining and grocery shopping.
Around 200,000 Malaysians work in Singapore, mostly in factories and in the services sector. A number of Malaysian students also commute to Singapore daily from Johor Bahru.
