A Malaysian cross-border worker took to the internet to complain about a transport service charging her a monthly fee of SGD 7,200 (approx. MYR 22,621), with netizens later pointing out that she might have been looking at the wrong type of service.
A netizen recently shared her experience on the Facebook page “人在狮城漂” about the exorbitant cost of commuting from Johor Bahru to Singapore via a charter service.
“My monthly salary is only SGD 2,000 (approx. MYR 6,960), which is nowhere near enough to cover the charter service fees,” she lamented.
RM835 per day
According to the screenshots she posted, the transport service charges SGD 240 (approx. MYR 835) per day. This amounts to a staggering SGD 7,200 (approx. MYR 25,058) for monthly fee.
The woman intended to use the service for the entire month, prompting the company to offer her a discount, reducing the total fee from SGD 7,200 to SGD 6,500 (approx. MYR 22,621).
The transport company further mentioned that if the woman decided to use the service long-term, they would lower the price to SGD 6,000 (approx. MYR 20,881) per month.
The company highlighted that their charter service includes direct doorstep pickup and assistance with passport stamping procedures.
Looking for the wrong service?
However, netizens in the comment section pointed out that she might be looking for the wrong service, as charter services are typically high-end and expensive.
They pointed out the woman should be looking for a carpool service to travel with other cross-border workers and share the cost.
“You mentioned a charter service yourself; that’s the price for a charter service. I think what you need is a carpool or a taxi.”
“It looks like the price for a charter service. It says ‘from any location in SG and JB’… If it’s a charter service, this price is normal.”
“This is basically the price for renting an entire car for a month. Could there be a communication breakdown?”
The woman replied that the company did not specify or ask which type of service she was looking for and simply offered the given price.
