Background Story: Massive toll rate hike for Causeway users from Aug 1
Malaysia recently announced that it would be increasing the tolls for cars going in and out of Malaysia at the causeway.
The new fees are up to 4 times higher than the previous fees and will apply from August 1st.
In response, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) in Singapore said that they would also be increasing Singapore's tolls in due course to match Malaysia' tolls.
The LTA said that this has always been Singapore's practice to peg tolls to those charged by Malaysia.
Cars travelling through the Johor customs, immigration and quarantine complex will have to pay higher fees than before and will have to pay them both ways rather than the previous system when cars only paid to go into Johor.
Reports said that when new charges kick in, cars will pay about S$6.50 (RM16.50) for a return day trip to Singapore, compared to the current one-way charge of about S$1.10 (RM 2.90). Buses would pay S$5.20 (RM13.30) to and from Singapore, while taxis would be charged S$3.20 (RM8.20) per two-way trip.
The LTA has contacted Malaysian authorities for confirmation of the media reports but it explained that it has yet to receive official information about the new tolls.
Also commenting on the Vehicle Entry Permit being charged on foreign cars entering Malaysia via the land checkpoints n Johor, the LTA already "expressed their concern" about the fees but they said they are yet to receive any response from Malaysian authorities.
It would appear that in the end, Singaporeans and Malaysians will have to pay significantly more to travel across the causeway while both governments get to enjoy higher revenues.
How have all these tit-for-tat fee increases helped the average citizen?
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