If you take the Kelana Jaya Line often, you may have noticed that Bangsar station is not called Bangsar anymore; it's Bank Rakyat Bangsar (officially rechristened today, although the announcements have been calling it Bank Rakyat Bangsar for a while now). Similarly, Universiti on the same line is now KL Gateway-Universiti, while AirAsia-Bukit Bintang is the latest monorail station to be renamed. Why the corporate tie-ups, you ask? Apparently, this is all part of RapidKL operator Prasarana Malaysia Bhd's Station Naming Rights Programme, through which brands and corporations get to not just name a station after themselves, but also 'transform' a station. If they have around RM3million (or more) that is.
According to a report by The Star, the Station Naming Rights Programme is all part of Prasarana's initiatives to continuously upgrade the stations' infrastructure and facilities, and this programme allows them to 'raise revenue from non-fared based sources'. Could this mean that the possible fare hike will not see a dramatic increase in prices? Let's hope the corporate giants start station shopping now.