After 4 years, repair works begin again at Batu Pahat bus station

Repair work on the Batu Pahat bus station in Johor which had been at a standstill for years began making headway several days ago, to the relief of tenants and traders at the three-story complex in Jalan Rugayah.

MalaysiaNow previously reported that the station, once a hive of activity and a tourist hotspot, had fallen into disrepair. Restoration works initially expected to be completed within a year or two had dragged on for four, with little if any progress to be seen.

Several traders who spoke to MalaysiaNow however said that work had resumed at a consistent pace following the report.

“They have started work again,” a trader who asked to be known as Saiful said, adding however that it remained to be seen whether they would complete the project this time.

In its heyday, the bus station saw thousands of travellers passing through on a daily basis.

But MalaysiaNow’s visit several weeks ago found the complex essentially abandoned with most of the shops closed and garbage strewn about.

Many traders, giving up hope of the refurbishment project ever finishing, had chosen to move to greener pastures.

Now, though, they say that things are beginning to look up.

A guard at the ticket counter for express buses who introduced himself as Mira said he had been heartened by the sight of workers going about their tasks each day.

“I see people coming in to do their work,” he said. “For a long time now I have sat here feeling very lonely.

“But over the past few days, I have been hearing the sound of drills and hammers. It’s noisy but it’s a welcome noise.

“It lets me know that the work that was abandoned for so long has finally started again.”