JOHOR BARU: The Johor government has proposed that Singapore bus operators at the Sultan Iskandar Building (BSI) begin their daily operations earlier at 4.30am, compared to the current time of between 5am and 5.30am.
State public works, transport, infrastructure and communications committee chairman Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh said the government also suggested increasing the number of trips or frequency due to the rising number of passengers each month.
Based on Malaysian Immigration Department statistics, the number of passengers using the bus services increases between 1,000 and 3,000 each month.
"However, the proposal to start bus operations earlier will be reviewed by Singapore's Land Transport Authority (LTA), as the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) in Singapore only begins service at 5.35am.
"As for the suggestion to add more trips, LTA will discuss the matter with each operator involved, as it entails costs and operational considerations," he said in a Facebook post on Monday (July 21).
At 4am the same day, Mohamad Fazli, accompanied by representatives from Singapore's LTA and several public bus operators, made a two-hour visit to BSI to observe operations at the counters and on-site bus services, and witnessed long queues of commuters waiting for buses.
The bus operators include Handal Indah Sdn Bhd, SBS Transit Ltd, SMRT Buses Ltd, Ridewell Travel Pte Ltd, The Singapore-Johore Expressway (Private) Ltd, and Transtar Travel & Tours Pte Ltd.
"LTA stated that the issue will be discussed and a decision will be made soon. As for Handal Indah, they currently provide 24-hour bus services, with departures every 30 minutes during off-peak hours and nearly 150 trips during peak hours.
"Hopefully, these efforts will yield positive results for everyone's well-being," he said. - Bernama
