The move was welcomed by some netizens who noted that the reduced ticket price would be fairer for Malaysians.
A Singaporean netizen commented that he had wondered why Malaysians did not receive subsidised train fares. “17MYR is quite a lot for a one-way ticket,” he noted on Facebook.
Another user on social media platform X also said that “it will be easier to go on holiday in Singapore after this”.
Some have also praised the Malaysian government, saying the new proposed arrangement shows it really cared for their citizens.
However, others have criticised the move, with some pointing out that the reduced fare would be unfair as workers in Singapore earn a higher salary than those in Malaysia.
“(There should be) no need to subsidise for the Singapore dollar earners. Why use (the Malaysian public’s) money to subsidise for the group who can well afford it?” asked a user.
Meanwhile, others called for the shuttle service to be demolished once the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link begins operations.
“The KTM shuttle must be demolished after train service between Singapore and Johor officially begins,” said a netizen.
Another user on Facebook commented: “(I) hope the Singapore government will also (reduce fares) for Singaporeans on the coming (train) line (from) Singapore to JB.”
Earlier in October, Malaysia announced that it would try to negotiate with Singapore to retain the Shuttle Tebrau train service even after the Johor Bahru-Singapore RTS Link begins operations, which is expected to occur by end-2026.
On Oct 26, Mr Loke said that the termination of the shuttle service was one of the conditions agreed between Malaysia and Singapore in implementing the RTS project. He added then that “it is not wrong” to have more connectivity between the two countries.
Commenting on this, Mr Loke said on Sunday that there is still time for negotiations to maintain the shuttle service.
“There are still three years until the RTS Link is completed. We will focus on improving the service first,” he reportedly said.
Additional reporting by Rhea Yasmine Alis Haizan