Published April 6, 2009

S'pore-Johor buses to be doubled

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BUS services between Singapore and Johor are set to be doubled under a new government effort to strengthen cross-border transport ties for the Iskandar Malaysia project.

Ministers from Singapore and Malaysia have agreed in principle to double the quota of bus services that are allowed to ply between the two states. This agreement was reached yesterday at the fourth Joint Ministerial Committee (JMC) meeting for Iskandar Malaysia.

Chaired by Malaysia's Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Amirsham Aziz and Singapore's Minister for National Development Mah Bow Tan, the meeting reviewed the progress of Iskandar Malaysia on areas such as immigration, transportation and tourism. Singapore's Minister of Transport Raymond Lim and Johor Mentri Besar Abdul Ghani Othman also attended the meeting.

Besides increasing bus links, Malaysia will introduce an automated clearance system to make it easier for travellers to clear immigration. To be implemented in stages, the system will incorporate the use of biometric verification tools, automatic gates for non-motorists and 'fast track' lanes for frequent travellers.

The two sides also plan to jointly develop tourism products that involve both Iskandar Malaysia and Singapore. To pave the way, a feasibility study will be conducted to nail down the specifics of such offerings.

'Iskandar Malaysia is an important initiative and Singapore is very happy to play its part to contribute to this initiative. With the current global economic slowdown, it is even more critical for Malaysia and Singapore to foster closer bilateral co-operation,' said Mr Mah.

The next JMC meeting will be held later this year.