The Johor Bahru–Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) is set to open at the end of this year, and surveys show that Singaporeans’ willingness to spend across the border will rise significantly as a result. Nearly 60% of respondents said they would go to Johor, Malaysia for shopping more frequently than they do now, and another half are considering renting accommodation there for weekend trips or short stays.
Lianhe Zaobao reported on the 6th that local research institute Blackbox Research interviewed 507 Singaporeans in July this year about the imminent opening of the RTS. The results showed that 76% of respondents said they would use the new service within its first year of operation.
More than half of the respondents indicated that after the RTS opens, they would go to Johor for shopping (55%), dine at restaurants or cafés (54%), or buy groceries and daily necessities (51%) at least once every three months. Another 43% said they might regularly stay overnight or spend weekends in Johor, and a similar proportion plan to meet up with relatives and friends regularly.
The RTS will greatly reduce border crossing times. Departing from Woodlands North Station, it takes about five minutes to reach Bukit Chagar Station in Johor Bahru; with the 'co-located checkpoint' setup, passengers can complete border formalities for both countries in one go before departure. This arrangement makes cross-border travel much faster and more convenient, and is expected to alleviate the long-standing traffic congestion problem.
Prior to the publication of the above survey results, the Singapore Business Federation, Restaurant Association of Singapore, and Singapore Retailers Association also released a research report on July 16, estimating that annual round trips between the two locations would increase by 11.2 million after the RTS opens. According to estimates, Singaporeans’ spending in Johor Bahru could increase by about S$1.05 billion (roughly RM3.349 billion) each year, while spending by Johor visitors in Singapore is expected to increase by about S$756 million (about RM2.412 billion). In other words, Singapore’s inbound income is S$294 million (about RM938 million) less than the outbound consumption, a deficit equivalent to 0.4% of last year’s total retail and food and beverage sales in Singapore.