No more cheonging in JB

[localbest]

Originally Posted by jackbl

Now there is no jam coming into sgp this time.... normally it is a long queue in the causeway

The increase of Toll fees and VEP at both sides have many effects:

1) The causeway, custom and JB city area will not be so jam pack with vehicles. Shopping centre like citysquare & KSL will not be so overcrowded.

Only people with a need to use the causeway like students, msian who work in spore, sporean going in to jb for business, cheongsters and tourists will be going in JB and not other people who go in just for filling up petrol and no other important purpose.

2) Less sporean coming to spend in JB means that business in JB will be affected and shop owners are likely to reduce their price of goods and sevices like massage service which is also another good news to cheongsters.

Imagine last time some sporean go in JB overbuy, overpay and overtip have caused the price of goods and services to increase substantially and it is quite hard for johorian who work in JB to keep up with the cost of living.

Therefore not to spoilt the market is important so that everyone can enjoy the cheap and good services provided by those shop owners / outlets / joints.

3) Less sporean buy msia property means that the property bubble in johor will burst which is also good news because then the johorian are able to buy cheap housing again.

In 6-8 years ago, a double storey terrace house only cost 100 over thousand ringgit.

But ever since last 1-2 years ago, the price of a double storey terrace house has cost more than 600 over thousand on average that is almost 4 times more expensive.

Many johorian who work in JB suffer because their earning in ringgit are not able to afford a house which cost so expensive.

when a property in a country is cheap, one is able to consider to retire there.

But when johor property price keep increasing, the minimum price of a property sporean can buy had raised from initially rm 250000 & above in late 90s to rm 500000 & above in 2009 or 2010, and then raise again until rm 1 million & above with effect from recently 1 june or 1 July 2014

Therefore most of the genuine sporean who really wish to retire in JB really cannot make it or may have to reconsider other destination because they are unlikely to spend more than 1 million ringgit just to buy a house for retirement.

Therefore if less sporean spend in JB, the economy will drop and it may be a good news too. Because when a country or state is backward or not so advance, it will lead to cheap retirement living expenses, cheap housing cost, cheap medical fee, cheap to cheong, cheap to drive, cheap to eat, cheap products, cheap massage, and many other cheap cheap things, etc.

[Goatslooter]

toll increase is still bearable, in a short run the car and biz will be increased gradually. The killing part is the VEP which likely MY side will increase to Rm50 (capped) and SG already increased to $35.

In future a SG plate car need to pay : Rm 16.5x2+Rm 50=Rm 83 to and fro. by then the traffic condition will be more smoothly, it may take 10 mins to clear the custom.

It is not worthwhile to spend such a big sum of $$ just for a leisure trip to JB.

[kosan]

Thank you for supporting not coming to JB for last week
Please keep supporting for this week.

[localbest]

Originally Posted by kosan

Thank you for supporting not coming to JB for last week
Please keep supporting for this week.

As financial expert foresee that if less sporean come to johor to spend, it will put pressure to the spore msia exchange rate. When large amount of a particular currency is sold, that currency will eventually depreciate or lost its value.

A currency will maintain its value only when hugh amount of that currency is wanted by investors and there are hugh foreign reserve in that country. But unfortunately msia doesnt have and still got debt somemore, last time borrow money from world bank.

Therefore just imagine if many sporean sold away their johor iskandar homes and less sporean come to johor to spend, msian ringgit will definitely devalue substantially (terok terok)

If that happens, expert estimated the depreciation will be estimated at 50% over 5 years. Average will be 10% per year.

However less sporean buy property and spend in msia, it will result in lower cost of living in JB, also good for johorian. Subsequently the ringgit will also devalue to the extent machiam like sing $1 = RM 3.00, spore cheongsters can enjoy more. As a result, sporean and msian can both benefit from the win-win situation, 双赢局面, dua-dua nya juga senang.

Now the traffic condition along the causeway has improve alot because only genuine commuters who really need to travel to both side uses the causeway and not other people who go in to msia just for the purpose of top up petrol or buy grocery. The increase in Toll and VEP are indeed a brilliant decision by both govt.

[sunhuan-con]

Give another 3 months..people will tend to forget and go JB again...It is human nature..Example: when taxi fare increase everyone boycotts it. After a short period people will forget and resume taking again.

[Goatslooter]

Yes thats only apply to the toll of 16.5+16.5 ? But if you add in the VEP then will be big question mark?
For Malaysia cars : toll Rm 16.5+ $6.5, vep $35 abt rm 120
For SG cars : toll rm 16.5+$6.5, vep rm 50, abt rm 83.

This is not a small sum of $$? If you are gg for a driving trip once in few mth the impact is not great but if you are travel on regular basis, the figure is no joke.

[localbest]

Originally Posted by sunhuan-con

Give another 3 months..people will tend to forget and go JB again...It is human nature..Example: when taxi fare increase everyone boycotts it. After a short period people will forget and resume taking again.

Taking taxi may be difficult to avoid as it may be an indispensable thing to some people as they may have children and old aged family members.

However, on the other hand, going to JB is not a necessity to majority of the sporean as their main purpose is just to go in to buy cheap things. There are always other options like Batam, bintan, etc to shop and enjoy.

Wish to comment that the price of some of the food in JB over the years has also increased 2 folds or more, so it is no more considered as super cheap anymore.

With the current or maybe even future toll and VEP charges on both sides, most of the drive-in sporean to JB will be reduced although it has less impact on the number of walk-in/take bus sporean who enter JB.

But not to forget, the drive-in sporean are the people who really spent large amount of ringgit compared to the walk-in on average. Even some came in to JB with the whole family in a car.

So can assume that the drive-in sporean/foreigner formed the majority of the total number of tourists who enter JB compared to the walk-in.

Therefore if the toll fee and VEP are not reduced, the situation of less sporean coming to JB will be permanent.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The Straits Times (Singapore) dated 5 August 2014 :-

JB shops feel pinch as tolls kick in

JOHOR BARU - Shops at a Johor mall popular with Singaporeans experienced a significant dip in business yesterday, a day after tolls went up on the Malaysian side of the Causeway.

Petrol stations also saw fewer Singapore-registered cars as the impact from the higher tolls began to kick in.

Traffic was unusually smooth on the Causeway for a Saturday morning and even more so yesterday, which was the first weekend after Hari Raya Puasa.

"It usually takes up to two hours just to enter but, today, it took us less than an hour," said learning centre owner Fran William, 35, a Singaporean who made the trip yesterday.

This was a far cry from the chaos last Friday morning, when bus drivers on the way to Singapore refused to pay the new tolls and parked their vehicles before the Johor Baru checkpoint, causing a massive jam.

Hundreds of bus passengers were forced to continue their journey on foot.

At Friday midnight, the toll for cars entering Johor was raised from RM2.90 (S$1.10) to RM9.70, while a new charge of RM6.80 also kicked in for cars returning to Singapore.

Tolls for buses, taxis and goods vehicles were also raised.

That prompted the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to announce that it will match the new tolls in the next few weeks.

This means that cars making the round-trip will have to pay about $12.80 in toll charges, compared with $2.30 before.

With Malaysia also planning to introduce a fee of RM50 on Singapore-registered vehicles by year's end, businesses there admitted they are worried that more Singaporeans could end up staying away.

For clothing boutique SUB at City Square mall, located just a couple of kilometres from the Johor checkpoint, Singaporeans make up 70 per cent of its customers.

Sales assistant Fariha Razak said the number of Singaporean shoppers dipped by about 40 per cent yesterday.

"We are usually very crowded on weekends, but today is like a weekday - there is hardly anyone," said the 19-year-old, gesturing to an almost empty store.

"Maybe it's because of the toll."

At shoe store Summit in the same mall, sales representative Fadziatul Niza Ahmad Jamali, 32, said that there were "not so many" Singaporeans, who make up about 80 per cent of the shop's clientele, yesterday.

"We usually have sales of up to RM12,000 in one day but, on Friday, we hit only about RM5,000," she said. "We're quite worried."

The number of Singapore customers at a Shell petrol station close to the Johor Baru checkpoint has also gone down by about 20 per cent over the last two days, said its cashier Aisya Aishah, 28.

"About 90 per cent of our customers are from Singapore. A lot of them will come every week to pump petrol," she said, adding that she hopes they will return once they get used to the higher tolls.

Singaporeans who made the trip yesterday said it was still "worth it" for now, because of the savings from cheaper food, groceries and petrol.

"I come about once a week to fill my tank and do my marketing," said 49-year-old chauffeur Mohamad Ali Yusoff.

"I can save about $30 to $40 on petrol alone."

Mr William also heads to Johor for his groceries once a fortnight.

"It's just a lot cheaper here. A tin of milk powder for my kids can be half the price of one back home," said the father of two.

"Even with the toll increase, we still save."

But with charges set to increase once LTA completes its move, and again after Malaysia introduces the vehicle entry fee, Mr William said he may have to think twice then about making a trip across the Causeway.

"We might come less frequently or just stop coming completely if it gets too expensive."

For those who commute regularly, the financial pinch would be even more painful.

Said businessman Patrick Chan, who drives from Singapore to Johor up to four times a week for work:

"I'm worried about the RM50 - that is significant, about $80 more for me to pay each week."

The 45-year-old added: "It will hurt those like me pretty badly."

Malaysia announced its proposal for a vehicle entry fee after Singapore decided to increase its permit fees for foreign-registered cars entering this country. S

tarting this month, Malaysia-registered cars have to pay $35 for a daily permit, up from $20.

Drivers of goods vehicles, who used to pay $10 for a monthly permit, now have to fork out $40.

These fees are separate from the toll charges, which have caused plenty of unhappiness among Malaysian commercial drivers.

Said Mrs Maggie Hui, the 56-year-old owner of Malaysian school bus service JK Megamaju:

"If we have to pay more, we have to pass costs to the parents."

The Johor Lorry Operators Association made a U-turn yesterday after its vice-president, Mr Andrew Chia, first told Channel NewsAsia that if the Malaysian government did not reduce the fares, lorry drivers might stage their own protest this week.

The association's president, Mr Anthony Tan, later told the same news outlet that Mr Chia had no authority to say this and that there will be no strike as

"we do not want to create trouble or havoc for other people".

Instead, the association will "go through the proper channels" to air any dissatisfaction.

A spokesman for the Johor-Singapore Community Care Association also told The Sunday Times that the new toll charges are "unreasonably high".

The association was started by a group of Singaporeans living in Johor to assist those who live and work there.

He said : "(We) would like to see an amicable solution that would not be a financial burden for citizens of both states, as they commute daily, be it to make a living, to conduct business or for leisure." ------ KatoeyNewsNetwork

[localbest]

Since the toll for public buses also affected, hopefully public bus on both side do not increase the bus fare by absorbing the extra charge.

Even if the public bus companies request to adjust the fare, I doubt the increase will not be more than 30 spore cents as the bus can accomodate many commuters.

[sony2002]

so any place started to lower their price liao?

esp those massage joint that provide FJ?

[Goatslooter]

Yes, my regular viet massage centre weChat me for cheap or free fucking

[DirkDiggler7791]

Wow, even da famous bluewave thread is so quiet.

[everyday1song]

For sure there's impact for the biz in JB. Most sinkies spend an average of S$100 per visit. About 5000 to 10000 pax enter JB per day during weekdays and could be more than double the figure during weekends and the money spend could be 1.5 time higer. After the EVP kicks in, the number of sinkies travel to JB will drop even more.
Let's see what is going to happen soon
Pity those who needs to travel here to make a living

[*FiReWoRkS*]

i doubt the operators will lower the prices so fast but based on this initial week looks like they might have to start sooner rather than later...

[localbest]

Originally Posted by everyday1song

For sure there's impact for the biz in JB. Most sinkies spend an average of S$100 per visit. About 5000 to 10000 pax enter JB per day during weekdays and could be more than double the figure during weekends and the money spend could be 1.5 time higer. After the EVP kicks in, the number of sinkies travel to JB will drop even more.
Let's see what is going to happen soon
Pity those who needs to travel here to make a living

In fact the EDL (eastern dispersal link) highway is designed for vehicles to travel from JB custom to the north south highway with many exits along the way.

If you drive in JB you will notice that the starting point of the EDL highway is at the JB custom, even from the city area is not able to access directly to the EDL.

Therefore the EDL highway is built for the convenience of the vehicle at the custom to other parts of JB.

So it is fair to charge the toll fee at the JB custom and not along the EDL highway.
(although vehicle can use the EDL highway midway free of charge)

There is no free lunch in this world, if the 8km-long EDL can really shorten travelling time, it is reasonable to impose toll charges on users.

Hopefully the msia govt maintain the rm16.50 toll charge so that spore side can follow suit. Lagi better if both side can increase somemore.

There is also another thing which both side need to consider is that motorcycles who enter and leave JB are free presently.

Imagine if there are ten to twenty thousand of motorcycle crossing the causeway during the peak hours, for sure it will cause jam.

Therefore both side should consider implementing toll fee for motorcycles too to control the traffic condition at the causeway.

Lagi better if msia side can implement VEP fee for spore motorcycles at the end of year too...