2 days ago
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Backbencher calls for lifting of ban on e-hailing rides to S'pore
This 2022 picture shows taxis waiting for Singapore-bound passengers at Larkin Sentral, Johor Bahru. They are among 200 licensed to provide such services. (Bernama pic)
KUALA LUMPUR : A backbencher has called on the government to hold talks with Singapore on lifting the ban on e-hailing rides to the island state from Johor Bahru.
Jimmy Puah (PH-Tebrau) said the decision to ban such rides was unfortunate and hurt frequent commuters, stating that as Johoreans, many like him preferred to fly out from Changi airport when travelling overseas.
He said a typical ride from Johor Bahru to Changi would take about an hour, provided the Causeway was clear.
Puah said given the gravity of the situation, the transport and foreign ministers must urgently meet their Singapore counterparts to negotiate and at least allow locals or permanent residents to take e-hailing rides into the republic.
Jimmy Puah.
He said recent incidents where Malaysians were stopped by Singapore authorities for dropping off passengers at Changi Airport had caused confusion and hardship.
Some drivers also had their vehicles seized and were now being probed by the authorities there.
'Johor and Singapore have long enjoyed close, strategic ties, yet issues like this hinder the progress that the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone is meant to bring.
'If its goal is to bring us closer, we must remove such barriers,' he told the Dewan Rakyat when debating the 13th Malaysia Plan.
He also proposed that certain conditions be set to allow these e-hailing rides to enter Singapore. Among them were restricting drop-offs to airports and ferry terminals and limiting them to Malaysians or foreign residents in Malaysia.
On Aug 3, Singapore's Land Transport Authority (LTA) said there were no plans to fully allow cross-border e-hailing.
This was despite the idea being raised during an Aug 1 meeting between Singapore's acting transport minister Jeffrey Siow and Johor menteri besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi.
LTA said it wanted to protect the livelihoods of existing drivers and curb unauthorised services.
For now, cross-border taxi trips remain under the Cross-Border Taxi Scheme, which limits services to 200 licensed cabs from each side, operating from designated pick-up points in each country.
Puah went on to say that smoother cross-border travel was vital for both people and trade.
He also noted that the JB-Singapore RTS is due to open at the end of 2026, carrying tens of thousands of passengers per hour and easing Causeway congestion.
He suggested building two new road links from the RTS station, one towards Jalan Skudai to move passengers north and west, and another towards Jalan Tebrau to channel traffic eastwards out of Johor Bahru.
He said these routes would help prevent thousands of e-hailing cars and other vehicles from clogging city streets once the RTS begins operations.
