Tag Archives: Toll

The money-crazy PAP Government tries to justify their latest increase on cross-border road charges by portraying it as tit-for-tat. Basically what they are telling the Singapore public is "they started it first". “This is to ensure that Malaysia takes into consideration our response whenever they raise their tolls or introduce a new levy,” Mr Khaw said. But before anyone is fooled, let's look at some events in time:

In Parliament, Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan was asked if the ministry would adjust the Vehicle Entry Permit fee and toll charges for vehicles entering Singapore. The question came in response to Malaysia’s intention to charge RM20 for each foreign vehicle entering Johor from Singapore. Mr Khaw replied that Singapore will continue to match any increase in Malaysia’s tolls.

All Touch ‘n Go card users, beware! To all Touch ‘n Go card users, please beware when you top up your Touch ‘n Go cards at exit counters at highway tolls. Clearly, the counter staff had the intention to cheat me and apparently had successfully cheated me of RM10. He told me the balance was RM19.70 and he only topped up RM20 to my card. Telling me RM10 less than the actual amount in the card is to cover up his wrong doing. After topping up of RM20, my actual card balance is RM49.70 (19.70 + 30 = 29.70 + 20) and I naturally I would not have discovered that if I hadn’t asked for a receipt.

Commuters using public buses and tour coaches to travel to Malaysia can breathe easy despite the recent announcements on the Causeway toll hikes, at least for now. The three public bus services that go to Johor Baru are classified as basic services, for which fares can be revised only at the Public Transport Council’s (PTC) annual round of fare reviews. Similarly, private bus operators say they have no plans to raise ticket prices at the moment. Grassland Express and Tours’ general manager Tan Boon Huat and his counterpart at CitiExchange Express said their companies would absorb the hike.

Singapore will ensure that its toll charges match Malaysia’s, as part of a “long-standing” matching policy which “reflects the shared nature of the two crossings, and ensures a fair distribution of total revenues from the crossings,” said Senior Minister of State (Finance and Transport) Josephine Teo in Parliament today (Sept 9). Since August, the Malaysian government had increased toll charges for all vehicles, except motorcycles, travelling from Singapore to Johor through the Causeway, and introduced a new Causeway toll for all vehicles travelling from Johor to Singapore. Those travelling from Johor to Singapore previously paid no tolls.

The Government will match Malaysia’s new toll charges in the next few weeks, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Friday (Aug 1), in a statement issued in response to Malaysia's increase in toll charges for vehicles travelling from Singapore to Johor, and to the implementation of new Causeway toll charges on vehicles travelling from Johor to Singapore.

For Singaporean Fahmi Rais, 46, who lives in Johor and commutes across the border daily, the toll increases will dent his disposable income. Mr Fahmi, who owns a cafe in Johor, said that as travelling between Singapore and Malaysia - whether for work or eduction - has become a "bread and butter" necessity, people will just have to swallow the increase.

“They (Singaporeans) have caused many problems, especially traffic congestion in the city centre,” he said. In 2006, the Government had decided that a fee – probably about RM20 – would be levied on cars from Singapore and Thailand to offset some of the petrol subsidy lost to these vehicles. However, this proposal was never carried out.

Johor will not object if the Government decides to impose a levy on Singaporean cars entering Malaysia. State Public Works, Rural and Regional Development Committee chairman Datuk Hasni Mohammad said besides a token toll charge, Singaporean cars entering the state capital currently do not have to pay any fee. He said the proposal to impose a levy on these cars, which had been forwarded by Johor to the Federal Government, was reasonable at RM50 (S$20)per vehicle due to Singapore’s favourable exchange rate against the Malaysian ringgit.