ASEAN Leaders decision to create an ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) is intended to introduce free flow of goods, services, investment and skilled labour in the ASEAN region. Additionally, the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity and the ASEAN Transport Strategic Plan also put emphasis on people-to-people connectivity in promoting deeper intra-ASEAN social and cultural interaction. For these to take root, the establishment of greater facilitation of Cross Border Transport of Passenger by Road Vehicles (CBTP) is of priority.
The ASEAN Framework Agreement on the Facilitation of Cross Border Transport of Passenger by Road Vehicles (CBTP) is the core instrument for the realization of these objectives.? This instrument sets out generic standards to be put into place for the implementation of a cross border transport of passenger system by road vehicle in ASEAN.
The practical objective of the CBTP is to facilitate the movement of passengers, promote tourism and boost the economy through investment in trade and cultural partnerships between ASEAN Countries.
This ASEAN-CBTP web platform is designed to support these initiatives and has the following scope:
It is important to operationalise the CBTP between ASEAN member states. Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei have confirmed their readiness as participating ASEAN Member States for pilot implementation of ASEAN CBTP, in view of the expertise they have gained in passenger transport under BIMP-EAGA.