KUALA LUMPUR, A total of 4.4 million vehicles from Singapore crossed into Malaysia via the two entry points in Johor in the first nine months of this year, paying RM87.94 million in Road Charge (RC), said Transport Minister Anthony Loke.
On average, he said, 16,107 vehicles entered Malaysia from Singapore daily.
“As of September 2024, it is estimated that around 89,818 trips were made by various vehicles crossing the Johor-Singapore border daily via the Bangunan Sultan Ismail (BSI) Customs, Immigration, Quarantine and Security Complex (CIQ) and the Sultan Abu Bakar Complex (KSAB),” he said during a question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.
He was replying to a question from Tan Hong Pin (PH-Bakri), who asked for the average number of vehicles crossing the Johor-Singapore border daily, broken down by vehicle type, the number of Singaporean vehicles and the total RC collection.
He said this number comprised vehicles registered both in Malaysia and Singapore, with 31,194 being cars, 53,000 motor
cycles, 3,531 buses and 2,093 lorries.
Answering Tan’s supplementary question about whether the RC revenue could be used for public transportation purposes in Johor and placed under a trust fund, Loke said his ministry would negotiate with the Ministry of Finance to ensure that the funds are ploughed back into public transport.
“As we know, the RC collection is currently included in the consolidated government revenue account. However, from every RM20 collected, RM5 is returned to the Johor state government.
“It’s true that once the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) is completed, we will need more bus networks in Johor Bahru, which will certainly require additional funding. One way to address this is to negotiate with the Ministry of Finance to channel RC collections back to public transportation in Johor Bahru specifically,” he said.
He mentioned that RM91.37 million in RC was collected last year, and it is expected to exceed RM100 million this year due to the increasing number of vehicles
entering Johor from Singapore.
In response to Khairil Nizam Khirudin’s (PN-Jerantut) supplementary question on how the government uses the RC revenue to manage congestion, especially during peak hours, Loke said his ministry is addressing the issue by adding more buses, particularly stage buses in Johor Bahru.
“This matter is indeed under consideration, and we are negotiating with the Johor state government and the Ministry of Finance to use part of the RC revenue to increase the frequency of stage buses to encourage more people to use buses between Johor Bahru and Singapore,” he said.
Regarding the Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) for foreign vehicles entering the country, Loke explained that from Oct 1 to 20, a total of 10,094 vehicles were inspected, with only 599 of them (or about six per cent) yet to apply for the VEP from the authorities.
“This shows a relatively high compliance rate, and in my opinion, it demonstrates that our efforts have achieved their objective of making it mandatory for Singaporean v
ehicles to register for the VEP.
“Regarding the RC, it’s reciprocal. If we charge RM20, Singapore charges S$6.5, so both sides are reciprocal,” he said.
He added that enforcement is being carried out by issuing warning notices to Singaporean vehicles that have yet to apply for the VEP during the first phase starting Oct 1.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency
