Strike at Johor Checkpoint over new toll charges
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Malaysian buses ferrying factory workers into Singapore staged a strike at the Johor checkpoint over new toll charges imposed by Malaysia.
SINGAPORE: Malaysian buses ferrying factory workers into Singapore staged a strike early Friday morning (Aug 1) at the Johor checkpoint to protest new toll charges imposed by the Malaysian government.
The Malaysian authorities confirmed to Channel NewsAsia reporter Sumisha Naidu later in the morning that the strike had ended. Chinese daily Sinchew in Malaysia reported that the traffic situation had returned to normal by 8am, after the local authorities promised to look into the revised toll charges.
MediaCorp's hotline received at least five calls about the incident. One of the callers, Mr Tan, said he saw many Malaysia-registered buses ferrying factory workers stopping their vehicles at the Johor checkpoint and refusing to continue their journey into Singapore.
Mr Tan said the strike by the bus drivers caused heavy traffic congestion at the Johor checkpoint. He said factory workers had to disembark at the Malaysian CIQ (Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex) and walk a long distance into Singapore to board buses to their workplace.
Another caller said the congestion at the Malaysian CIQ had also affected school children travelling into Singapore. He said most of them will be late for schools this morning.
Those streaming into the Singapore side on foot appeared calm and orderly, according to Channel NewsAsia reporter Leong Wai Kit. The Singapore authorities confirmed there were no public order incidents here stemming from the strikes.
TOLL HIKES
The bus drivers are apparently striking over an increase of more than 400 per cent in toll charges at the Johor Bahru Customs which came into effect on Friday.
Announced by the Malaysian Highway Authority last week, the new toll charges for vehicles heading into Singapore are RM6.80 (S$2.65), RM10.20, RM13.60, RM3.40 and RM5.50 for Class 1 to Class 5 vehicles, respectively. Only motorcyclists are exempted from paying toll.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) sent an advisory at 8.05am saying that bus services 160, 170, 170X and 950 have halted services to Johor Bahru until further notice. The suspension was due to a “protest against increase in Malaysian toll fees by Malaysian bus operators which impeded flow of bus traffic through the Johor Bahru Checkpoint,” the advisory said.
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Finali found the thread...
Some tots... LTA dcide to raise, msia also raise but LTA HEAD or the person whi dcide to raise forgit one thing... Our food mostly come from MSIA...
SO IF BOTH SIDE RAISE toll charges which will lead to increase fixed costs and not subsidy to cover this fixed costs, prices will have to rise to favtor in this costs which will mean SGReans will pay more for rheir food, be it cooked food at hawker centre or groceries...
If its meant to deter SGReans fr goin in Msia n eat, it will not work...
Smart Aleck at LTA did not think n prob didn study economics... Too many scholars will result in a one track mind mentality n NO HELICOPTER VIEW of repercussions of policy implementations...
ST recently reported GERMAN Car markers r damn pissed again with LTA's insistence on running electronic tests on car imports to determine which
category new cars fall into...
Not only are new cars being held in ports increasing costs, LTA is still dittering on the type of tests n NO OFFICIAL PERSON with a name has given a time line on when it will start, car dealerships are fuming w again increase business costs n all those involved juz keep quiet...
German car manufacturers have complained to the GERMAN government who now says these tests are artificial barriers to free trade... German trade officials were referred to Trade,industry ministry who shot it to Transport ministry who shot it to LTA...
MERRY GO ROUND... JUZ LIKE IN NORMAL DAYS
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Every day jam.
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Hanor
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starting at 12mn!