Chan Wah Heng, who runs a bak kut teh restaurant at Taman Abad, said he expects his landlord to raise his rent by 20% to 30% in the next few years. He currently pays over RM6,000 every month.
Chan said the increase in rent was “unavoidable” as his restaurant is located within 5km of the Bukit Chagar RTS Station, one of the two stations in the RM10 billion project.
“But if there’s an increase in the number of customers, I can handle the increase because of the bigger crowd,” the 62-year-old told FMT.
Jason Soo, who operates a hair salon, expects an increase of 10% to 20% in rent but believes there would be more customers, which would help cushion the impact of the higher rent.
“So far, I am not too worried,” the 36-year-old said.
Lim Hui Theang, who runs a mobile accessories shop on Jalan Wong Ah Fook, said her landlord has informed her about raising the rent; she expects it to go up by 40% due to her store’s proximity to Bukit Chagar station.
However, unlike Soo and Chan, Lim lamented that her business would not benefit from the increased footfalls as Singaporeans are now opting to purchase data plans from home as affordable roaming plans are now available in their country.
“So for me, it’s not bringing any benefit to my business,” the 30-year-old said.
The RTS is a 4km light rail transit shuttle service connecting Bukit Chagar station in Johor Bahru and the Woodlands North station in Singapore. It is due to be completed in 2026, and serve up to 10,000 passengers per hour in each direction at peak periods.
More trips to JB, say Singaporean tourists
Singaporeans welcomed the idea of shorter travel time between Johor Bahru and the island once the RTS is completed.
Justin Chia, 26, said the new RTS would allow him to visit Johor Bahru more frequently. “If it’s easy to get tickets, and if the train is convenient, then why not,” he said.
Chia, an information technology associate, told FMT he usually travels to JB on the KTM Tebrau shuttle service, but tickets were often sold out within minutes.
He travels to Johor once every two to three weeks to visit relatives.
Shirlyn Ng, 31, said the RTS is a boon to Singaporeans residing near the Causeway and looks forward to travelling to Johor once it is launched, saying she “wants to try it”.