MTI Colek Ministry Of Transportation Soel Batam-Singapore Ferry Ticket Prices Skyrocketed During The Current Pandemic Not Normal

Passenger activity at Sri Bintan Pura International port (SBP) Tanjungpinang, Riau Islands (Kepri). ANTRA/Ogen

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Transportation Society (MTI) of the Riau Islands Province (Kepri) asked the Ministry of Transportation (Kemenhub) to address the increase in the tariff for the Batam-Singapore ferry from Rp380 thousand to Rp900 thousand per person to return home (PP).

Chairman of the MTI Kepri Syaiful said the increase in ticket rates had been going on since August 2022 or still in a state of the COVID-19 pandemic, citing the increase in fuel prices and a decrease in passenger load factors by 50 percent, so that ship owners had difficulty in terms of ship operational financing.

"Well, we can certainly accept this reason, especially at that time the number of COVID-19 cases was still high so that the mobility of people was limited," said Syaiful, in Tanjungpinang, Riau Islands, Thursday, March 28, which was confiscated by Antara.

However, after the current passenger load of the ship is stable or after the COVID-19 pandemic, according to him, the Batam-Singapore ship tariff should be lowered immediately.

He hopes that the Indonesian Ministry of Transportation can evaluate the fairly high increase in ship rates by calculating new rates.

"Don't let shipping companies make big profits, while the community is disadvantaged," said Syaiful.

Syaiful then compared the ticket price for the Batam-Singapore ship, with the Batam Malaysia ferry which was longer (90 minutes), but the ticket price was only around Rp. 540 thousand back and forth (PP).

Whereas during COVID-19, they also experienced the same problem with the Batam-Singapore ship, namely rising fuel and decreasing passenger load.

"The increase in Batam-Malaysia boat tickets is only around 25 percent, from Rp280,000 per road to Rp350 thousand per road. For PP it is Rp. 540 thousand to Rp. 600 thousand, or the increase is only Rp. 70 thousand," said Syaiful as well.

Therefore, his party hopes that the Ministry of Transportation as the regulator must be firm in responding to this issue, because the public has expressed protests several times but has not received a positive response.

In addition, tourism actors who are members of the Association of Indonesian Travel Companies (ASITA), Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin), Tourism Office, and even Batam DPRD to the Riau Islands Provincial DPRD, have also long suggested that the Batam-Singapore ship ticket tariff and should be lowered immediately.

"The current tariff is very burdensome for the community and has an impact on foreign tourist visits to Batam and Riau Islands in general," he said again.

Syaiful suspects that there is a cartel game by a group of businessmen, so that the Batam-Singapore ship ticket fare has not been lowered, even though there have been many urgent parties.

He suggested that if the three operators of the Batam-Singapore route did not heed the proposal regarding the reduction in ticket rates, then the Ministry of Transportation could add a Batam-Singapore ship fleet for national companies. This aims to ensure healthy competition, so as to maintain the stability of ship tariffs.

National companies can certainly be regulated by the Government of Indonesia itself, both the Ministry of Transportation and the BP Batam.

"National shipping companies also have good ferries according to international shipping standards, for example, Batam-Malaysia routes and several domestic routes," he said.

Riau Islands Governor Ansar Ahmad stated that he would immediately summon three Batam-Singapore ship operators to confirm the reasons for the increase in international ticket fares.

He may still be able to tolerate if the increase in boat ticket rates is triggered by an increase in fuel prices. If not, ship operators are asked to lower ship ticket rates.

"The expensive boat ticket rates can reduce the intensity of foreign tourist visits to Riau Islands, especially from Singapore," said Ansar.