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Batam-Singapore ferry fares cut by Rp 100,000
Rates had more than doubled during the pandemic.
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Batam city administration secretary Jefridin (second left) welcomes a foreign traveler arriving at Batam Center International Port in Riau Islands from Singapore on Jun. 15, 2020. (Antara/Teguh Prihatna)
F
erry operators offering the Batam, Bintan and Karimun to Singapore routes have agreed to cut fares by Rp 100,000 (US$6.74) after ticket prices more than doubled during the pandemic.
Riau Islands Governor Ansar Ahmad had asked four ferry operators to cut fares after a return ticket from the islands to Singapore increased from Rp 450,000 to around Rp 1 million.
“They have agreed to lower the price by Rp 100,000. That’s the minimum cut we asked them for,” Ansar said on Thursday.
The governor compared the Batam-Singapore route – a trip that usually takes 40 minutes – to the similarly priced but much longer ferry from Tanjung Pinang to Singapore, which is almost a two-hour trip and costs Rp 1 million.
“Batam [to Singapore] takes only 40 minutes. Why are the prices similar?” he asked.
Ansar said further cuts could be made and that the administration would monitor the situation as it developed.
“The reason for the price hike was an increase in fuel prices. They use industry-category fuel, which is not subsidized,” he said.
Earlier this week, Ansar had met the operators' representatives to discuss the fare reduction.
The governor also sent an official request to the operators, namely Horizon, Sindo, Majestic and Batam Fast, citing Law No. 17/2008 on efficient and affordable maritime transportation.
Lower prices would increase the number of tourists visiting the Riau Islands, he said in the letter.
The Batam Tourism Agency held a ceremony on June 15 to welcome the first travelers in more than two years to arrive from Singapore’s HarbourFront international ferry terminal.
Singapore had shut down HarbourFront, a waterfront district in southern Singapore, in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the reopening of the HarbourFront-Batam route, the port has returned to full operation.
During normal operations, there were 49 ferry trips between the two ports each day, with an average of some 5,000 people making the journey each weekend.
