Heavy traffic expected at both land checkpoints

Heavy traffic expected at both land checkpoints during Hari Raya weekend

Heavy traffic is expected at both Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints from Thursday (Jul 16), ahead of Hari Raya Puasa on Friday.

Traffic volume is expected to build up from Thursday and continue till Sunday, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said in a statement, adding that travellers using the land checkpoints during this period can expect delays.

For departure from Singapore, traffic at both checkpoints is expected to be particularly heavy on Thursday and Friday, ICA said. For arrival, traffic at both checkpoints is expected to be particularly heavy on Sunday.

The authority has advised travellers to adjust their travel plans if possible. If not, motorists should check on the traffic situation at both land checkpoints before embarking on their journey, it said.

Travellers are encouraged to car-pool where possible, maintain lane discipline at all times, and ensure that they do not bring unlawful or prohibited goods into or out of Singapore, ICA said.

For more information, the public can call 6863 0117, tune in to the radio for the latest traffic news, or visit these websites to check latest traffic conditions: http://onemotoring.com.sg or http://www.mytransport.sg.

~News courtesy of Channel News Asia~

New JB-Woodlands train service from July 1

New JB-Woodlands train service from July 1

A new shuttle train service plying between Woodlands and Johor Baru (JB) Sentral will start on July 1.

Malaysian rail operator Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) will operate the service called Shuttle Tebrau.

There will be 14 trips daily: seven from JB Sentral Station and seven from Woodlands Station.

A one-way fare from Woodlands will cost $5, while the return trip from JB Sentral will be priced at RM5 (S$1.80).

KTM said in a media release that the shuttle service will provide a transport solution for commuters who are travelling daily from Johor in Malaysia to Singapore.

"It is also an effort to reduce the massive road congestion, especially during the peak hours at the Johor Causeway," the operator added.

The departure timings from Woodlands Station will be: 6.30am, 8am, 9.30am, 5pm, 6.30pm, 8pm and 11pm.

From JB Sentral, the timings will be: 5.30am, 7am, 8.30am, 4pm, 5.30pm, 7pm and 10pm.

On each trip, the train can ferry between 300 and 320 passengers.

Commuters said that, compared with taking the bus to JB, the train may be quicker but will cost more.

Travel blogger Liau Yun Qing, 29, said it took her about two hours to get from Queen Street in Singapore to JB Sentral on Saturday, using the Causeway Link bus service.

"This is because of the queues to clear immigration and queues to board the buses again (after clearing immigration)."

The ride cost her $3.30 going in and RM3.40 coming back.

There are currently seven cross-border bus services which ply between Singapore and Johor Baru: two are operated by SBS Transit, one by SMRT and the other four services by private bus operators.

Prices for the private services range from $2 to $7.

KTM said that, with the new shuttle, train services from Kuala Lumpur Sentral, Butterworth and Gemas stations - which currently end at Woodlands Station - will end at JB Sentral instead from July 1.

Commuters will have to use Shuttle Tebrau to complete the rest of the journey to Singapore.

Said beautician Janice Lee, 50, who visits JB occasionally to shop and eat: "I've never taken the train (to JB) before, but if this new shuttle service is convenient and safe, I wouldn't mind giving it a try."

~News courtesy of My Paper~

Fares increased for taxi, train and express bus services

Fares increased for taxi, train and express bus services

Be prepared to pay more for your public transport. The increase in taxi fares takes immediate effect while train and express bus charges will be raised on May 1 and May 15 respectively.

Budget taxis in the Klang Valley and Johor Baru will charge 25 sen per 200m and 25 sen per 36 seconds although the flagfall will remain at RM3 for the first kilometre.

This is a sizable increase as each budget taxi will get RM1.25 per km (from RM0.87 per km, up by 44%) and 42.67 sen per minute (from 28 sen per minute, up by 49%).

For example, a budget taxi that is stuck in traffic for an hour will take in RM25 (RM30 for those in Penang) from time-based charges alone, up from RM16.80 previously. This is likely to make taxi drivers more willing to face congestions.

Express buses will charge 2.1 sen more (or 22.5%) per km, setting the new fare at 11.4 sen per km.



Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) chairman Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar said taxi and express bus operators were facing rising costs, adding that the last fare review for both was in 2009.

“We took into account the needs of the operators and the public (in coming up with these new fares),” he told reporters at SPAD headquarters here.

Teksi 1Malaysia (TEKS1M) cabs – consisting exclusively of the brown Proton Exora – are the only taxis to have the flagfall rate raised from RM3 to RM4.

The hike in taxi fares does not cover airport limos and executive taxis (typically blue in colour), and is limited to Peninsular Malaysia.

According to SPAD, taxi fares would be reviewed each year based on operating cost changes.

Although the increase in fares took immediate effect, taxis could only charge the new rates after the meter had been recalibrated.

SPAD chief executive Mohd Nur Ismal Mohd Kamal said it would take one to two months for all taxis to use this new setting.

“There’s a panel of service providers they can go to. We have asked them to increase (operating) capacitym,” he said.

SPAD said that senior citizens, the disabled and children below 12 years old would continue to enjoy the 25% discount on express bus fares.

On train fares, Syed Hamid said SPAD had given its approval to KTM Bhd and Prasarana Malaysia Bhd to set new rates covering LRT, KTM Komuter, KTM Intercity and KL Monorail.

According to SPAD, the Ampang and Kelana Jaya LRT Line fares have not been reviewed for the past 19 and 17 years respectively. Monorail, KTM Komuter and KTM Intercity fares have remained the same for 12, 12 and 25 years respectively.

Mohd Nur said the fares of stage buses would not be increased now or in the near future.

“This is because low-income earners rely on stage buses for transport, and they cannot afford to pay more,” he said.

He added that the Government would cover stage bus costs.

~News courtesy of New Straits Times~

Changi voted world's best for 3rd year

Changi voted world's best for 3rd year


STERLING RECORD: This is the sixth time that Changi Airport has won the title at the World Airport Awards. Changi also won Best Airport for Leisure Amenities for the seventh time.

Changi Airport has been voted the World's Best Airport by travellers for the third year in a row at the 2015 World Airport Awards.

This is the sixth time that Changi Airport has won this title at the awards, held at the Passenger Terminal Expo in Paris.

Edward Plaisted, chief executive of Britain-based consultancy Skytrax, which organised the awards, said the repeat win was no surprise.

"Rather than dwell on earlier success, the airport continues to innovate and concentrate on making the customer experience in the airport environment the most enjoyable," said Mr Plaisted.

Changi Airport also won Best Airport for Leisure Amenities for the seventh time, thanks to its facilities such as music bar lounges, swimming pool and the in-terminal Ambassador Transit Hotel.

Changi Airport Group CEO Lee Seow Hiang said the recognition was "particularly pleasing", as it comes during significant development projects such as Terminal 4 and Jewel Changi Airport, which have had works taking place amid ongoing airport operations.

"We are most grateful to all our passengers and partners who have, nonetheless, continued to give us their strongest support," said Mr Lee.

The World Airport Awards is based on Skytrax's survey, which is widely recognised as the largest annual global airport customer satisfaction survey. The results are based on 13.02 million customer nominations across air travellers of 112 nationalities and include 550 airports worldwide.

The survey evaluates customer satisfaction across 39 key performance indicators for airport services and products, from check-in, arrivals, transfers, shopping, security and immigration to departure at the gate.

~News courtesy of Straits Times~

Happy Chinese New Year 2015

Singapore Airlines reduces fuel surcharges

Singapore Airlines reduces fuel surcharges

Flagship carrier Singapore Airlines (SIA) said on Thursday (Feb 12) that it will reduce its fuel surcharge for tickets issued on or after Feb 26, 2015.

The reduced fuel surcharges will apply to Singapore Airlines and SilkAir flights, SIA said in a news release. They will see decreases of between US$5 (S$6.80) and US$83 (S$113) per sector.

The airline noted that fuel prices have declined in recent months, but said jet fuel continues to account for a significant percentage of the SIA Group expenditure.

~News courtesy of Channel News Asia~

Happy new year 2015