Agreeing, Suhaimi, the president of the Johor-Singapore cross-border taxi association said that drivers have long struggled due to higher petrol costs, for instance.
“We have suffered for a long time – travel costs have gone up, fuel and other expenses too,” he told CNA.
DRIVERS WORRY ABOUT OPERATIONAL CHALLENGES
Over at Ban San Street Terminal, CNA observed some 30 Malaysian and Singapore taxis – in shades of red, green, black and white – alternating in queue since 9am, waiting to ferry passengers across the border.
Some drivers told CNA they had waited close to three hours as the queue inched forward well past noon, with about 20 passengers arriving intermittently in the three hours to share rides, while rain drizzled over the shelter.
Singaporean taxi driver Chamkour Singh, who drives a yellow-top taxi, said the new measures to drop passengers off anywhere in Malaysia will increase convenience, but warned that causeway congestion will remain an issue.
He also expressed concerns on competition between cross-border taxis waiting for street-hail passengers at Ban San Street Terminal and those taking ride-hail bookings.
“I think on booking platforms, there will be more customers, but here at Ban San Street Terminal it might go down because it’s mostly for budget shared taxis,” he said.
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