Exempt buses and taxis from CIQ toll, says Shahrir

JOHOR BARU: Buses and taxis should be exempted from paying toll at the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex at the Sultan Iskandar Building said Johor Baru MP Tan Sri Shahrir Samad.

The move, he said, could encourage more people to use public transportation to commute between Johor Baru and Singapore, as well as reduce traffic congestion at the Johor Causeway.

"Implementation of the toll, and the rate, is not a problem, but consumers have to be given an alternative service and solution.

"From what I see, public transport service has to be improved," he told reporters at an Aidilfitri Open House on Saturday.

He was commenting on an incident Friday where the situation at the CIQ Complex became chaotic after two factory bus drivers refused to pay the new toll rate that came into effect.

This resulted in hundreds of workers having to walk across the causeway and taking buses from the Woodlands checkpoint in Singapore to their respective destinations.

The Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) had recently announced that the toll rates would be increased for vehicles entering and leaving the CIQ complex.

The new toll rates for vehicles coming into Malaysia are now RM9.70, RM14.70, RM19.70, RM4.80 and RM7.80 for the respective Class 1 to Class 5 vehicles.

The previous inbound charges ranged from RM1.40 (for taxis) to RM6.10 (for vehicles with three or more axles).

The new rates for outbound vehicles are RM6.80, RM10.20, RM13.60, RM3.40 and RM5.50.

Motorcyclists are exempted from paying toll. -Bernama