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PRICIER TRIPS: The most direct effect of the traffic jams is higher transport costs, which include paying lorry drivers more to make deliveries. -- ST PHOTO: BRYAN VAN DER BEEK
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MALAYSIAN mechanic Than San Choong does not bother going home some nights these days - it is easier just to bunk in his Pandan Loop workshop than battle the traffic jams that have clogged up the Causeway.
What was once a trip of 30 to 45 minutes has become a blood-boiling endurance test of up to four hours as border security has been stepped up following the Mas Selamat Kastari incident.
'I'd obviously prefer to go home, but sometimes it is too much - especially if it rains. Imagine waiting in the rain for hours,' said Mr Than, 40.
And time is money, with businesses on both sides of the straits feeling the pinch as costs rise by about 25 per cent, according to some.
The most direct effect is that higher transport costs, which includes paying lorry drivers more to make deliveries, but there is also the pain caused by delays in delivering goods and raw materials and workers coming in late.
'We've had delays of up to two days for our building materials - bricks from Malaysia - and we've also had to pay 5 to 10 per cent more for each delivery,' said Jian Huang Construction managing director Annie Gan.
Mr Marcus Ng, the managing director of window blinds maker On Demand Contract and Services, said he has had to pay drivers an extra RM80 to RM120 (S$35 to S$52.50) a trip in addition to the normal sum of RM240, to entice them to tackle the jams.
'Our business costs have risen by 20 to 25 per cent. In order to deliver our goods to the customers on time, we have to order window blinds from Singapore, which is far more expensive,' said Mr Ng.
Interior furnishing firm Goodrich Global has seen a slowdown in several projects in Malaysia as materials no longer arrive on time.
Restaurant owners and hoteliers are having to deal with a few more late- comers and no-shows among staff worn out by the commute.
A Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry spokesman said the jams have become 'a worrisome situation that has led to economic losses for business communities on both sides of the Causeway'.
Many firms feel the situation will ease soon but some, like courier firm Network Express, are working on an alternative. Managing director V.S. Kumar told The Straits Times: 'If we cannot deliver it by road because of the jam, we'll have to deliver it by plane.'
But that will add 150 per cent to delivery costs.
Bosses seem to be looking at the big picture, saying the delays and higher costs are a small price to pay in matters of national security.
Mr Kumar said: 'This concerns the safety of fellow Singaporeans. That is why these additional costs don't really matter to me, just as long as they catch Mas Selamat.'
While commuters and businesses may be in a jam, consumers can rest easy. Food importers say there has been no discernable impact on supplies or prices with most night deliveries happening on schedule.
Malaysia supplies about 48 per cent of Singapore's imported fresh vegetables, 38 per cent of its chickens and about 73 per cent of its eggs. Every day, about 20,000 ducks, 110,000 chickens and three million eggs are brought in over the Causeway.
'The ones who are really affected are the Malaysian workers who deliver the produce, because they have a long wait before they reach home,' said Mr Chiew Kin Huat, the secretary of the Poultry Merchants Association here.
Malaysian bosses are paying the workers a bit more, he added.
And for anyone heading across this weekend, Mr Than has some useful advice: 'Forget about drinking water. You're in real trouble if you need to go while you're waiting to clear the jam.'
alfoo@sph.com.sg
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY ONG BI HUI AND NATALIE SOH
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