Singapore-bound passengers at Larkin Sentral to pay extra RM1 from 15 February 2023 (Updated)

From 15 February 2023, all passengers boarding cross-border bus services from Larkin Sentral Bus Terminal will be charged an extra RM1. Commuters of Bus Services 170, CWL and SJE will be affected by these new charges.

Implementation of this extra charge was initially planned for 1 January 2023 but was eventually delayed to 15 February 2023.

Billed as a ‘facilities charge‘, this fee grants access to the Singapore Departure Hall (Gates 1 & 2), a common waiting area for all cross-border bus services. Access gates have been installed at the entrance of the Departure hall.

The RM1 charge can be paid via these methods:

• Touch ‘n Go eWallet – May not be available yet. check with ground staff.
• Larkin Sentral ticketing website (golarkin.com.my)
• Ticket Counters 1 & 2 (cash payment) – Printed Boarding Pass ticket

Arriving passengers from Singapore are not charged this extra fee, and can exit the bus berth via the adjacent turnstile.

Larkin Sentral already charges long-distance coach passengers a fee of RM2 for the use of its Centralized Ticketing System (CTS) and associated boarding facilities. This extra charge was implemented on 1 January 2022.

Timeline & Background

Posters at Larkin Sentral announcing the new charges were first posted on several Facebook groups on 27 December 2022. These charges were initially planned to start on 1 January 2023.

The Centralized Ticketing System was implemented on 1 January 2023, but the RM1 charge was deferred to 15 February 2023. During the interim period from 1 Jan to 14 Feb 2023, passengers could collect a free boarding pass from the terminal staff at the entrance of the Singapore departure hall.

Addressing the new charges, Johor Public Works, Transport and Infrastructure Committee chairman Mohamad Fazli said in an interview with Oriental Daily that bus termini across Malaysia have similar RM1 charges for facility upkeep. TBS (Terminal Bersepadu Selatan) in Kuala Lumpur is an exception, where these upkeep costs are borne by the Federal government.

Using the ticket gates

Passengers can pay the RM1 at the physical ticketing counters (1 and 2) to receive a printed boarding pass containing a QR code.

For passengers intending to use the Touch ‘n Go eWallet or Larkin Sentral ticketing website for payment, please consult with ground staff. As of 15 Feb 2023, Touch ‘n Go eWallet would be implemented in ‘one or two weeks’ time’, according to an Oriental Daily news article.

Scanning the QR ticket at the gate grants access to the departure hall, and a separate shuttle boarding queue ticket is issued. The queue system is yet to be activated.

Boarding passengers must scan the boarding pass QR code ticket again before exiting the departure hall for the bus berths.

Affected Bus Services departing Larkin

As an alternative to CWL, passengers heading from Larkin to Jalan Tun Abdul Razak can take myBAS Bus Service T10.

Passengers taking stage bus services within Johor Bahru are not charged for boarding/alighting at Larkin.

Gallery:

External Links & References:

• (1) Malaysia-Singapore Border Crossers(MSBC) 马新过境者 | Ada apa facility untuk kita bayar extra | Facebook [Accessed 28 Dec 2022]
• 【独家】拉庆巴士总站明年起　向入境狮城乘客征收一令吉设施费 | 南马 | 地方 | 東方網 馬來西亞東方日報 (orientaldaily.com.my) [Accessed 28 Dec 2022]
• 即日起搭巴士入境狮城征一令吉设施费　未来两周内可使用电子钱包付费 | 国内 | 東方網 馬來西亞東方日報 (orientaldaily.com.my) [Accessed 15 Feb 2023]

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