A commuter travelling from Singapore to Johor Bahru, Malaysia forgot to pay a new $3.20 toll but was allowed to go past the gantry. As he moved past the gantry, a Certis CISCO officer who was allegedly hiding behind a signboard suddenly appeared and demanded that the commuter pay an additional $50 fine.
Sharing the incident on Facebook, the commuter Rich expressed that he felt particularly furious since the hefty fine could have been avoided if the gantry was able to automatically detect and prohibit trespasses, thereby preventing fee evasion.
Interestingly, Rich noted that the toll is charged by Land Transport Authority (LTA) while the fine was imposed by Immigration & Checkpoints Authority of Singapore (ICA).
As far as implementing drop-arm barriers that automatically detect toll payment, LTA’s website clarifies that “one option being studied with ICA is the feasibility of having ICA’s drop-arm barriers lifted only when the motorist has paid all tolls and fees.”
This statement was posted on LTA’s website in July 2016. It appears that improvements have not been implemented more than a year later.
For now, the S$50 fine for motorists who evade tolls and $100 fine for repeat offenders is still in effect.
Read Rich’s experience here:
Please SHARE to avoid getting fined at TUAS checkpoint for forgetting to pay your gantry toll. No second chance. Official trap.
THE INCIDENT:
Today while going to JB using Tuas Checkpoint, second link, we forgot to pay for the $3.20 toll charges using our cashcard by honest mistake because it slip our mind. However the toll gantry open letting us exit to a hiding Certis Cisco officer behind the sign.
THE MODUS OPERANDI:Â
He immediately asked us if we paid the toll charges and we apologized immediately and said it was a slip of mind. However he demanded that we make a fine payment of $50 plus the $3.20 we short paid without any leniency or warning.DOUBLE STANDARDS:
We asked the officer in charge why the system allows the gantry to open and let cars to go through without paying the toll. He said the system belongs to ICA and not LTA. Is system integration so difficult as Woodlands and Johor Checkpoints’ gantry does not open unless you pay toll charges.IT IS A TRAP:
It is very obvious the Certis Cisco officer is hiding. He knows immediately that we forgot to pay while the ICA officer doesn’t. Its a trap to collect revenue obviously. We asked the officer, and he replied that he is not hiding, he just happens to be standing there. BS?NO INTENTION TO IMPROVE:
We gave feedback to integrate the system to open the gantry after paying tolls and the officer ask us to feedback to their bosses ourselves as they cannot give feedback as their bosses will think they are trying to skive or change the system. They also said there has been many complaints of this issue, meaning to say nothing has changed. Isn’t feedback from the ground the most important for improvement? Why Singapore Certis Cisco and LTA doesn’t improve systems that don’t benefit themselves. If you cannot guard the well being of your staffs, how can you guard the well being of the citizens, and how do you make Singapore a better place for us?This is not an issue of money but an issue of trust. Without a trustworthy system in a first world country, setting up traps like this to make a quick buck, it just is not right. With mindless soldiers in the front end following instructions blindly will cause the downfall of the organization and our future. Shame!
Please SHARE to avoid getting fined at TUAS checkpoint for forgetting to pay your gantry toll. No second chance….
Posted by Rich Sng on Wednesday, 18 October 2017