The southern part of West Malaysia, including districts of Johor Bahru, Pontian, Kulai, Masai, etc, is a popular destination for Singapore residents to go for local food and shopping. Knowing how to cross the border from Singapore to Johor using bus services is essential knowledge to discover the land on the other side of the Johor Straits.
A picture tells a thousand words. This handy illustration is useful for understanding all cross-border bus services from Singapore to nearby areas in Johor.
To avoid confusions, understand that JB CIQ is an immigration checkpoint in Johor Bahru District of Johor for the land-crossing from Woodlands Checkpoint via the Causeway (a.k.a. 1st Link). The other land-crossing checkpoint, Sultan Abu Bakar CIQ, is in Gelang Patah District of Johor and accessible via Tuas Checkpoint and 2nd Link.
A. From Singapore to Johor Bahru via Woodlands Checkpoint
There are several bus services, by different bus operators, from bus interchanges or terminals across Singapore to Woodlands Checkpoint for crossing over to Johor Bahru via the Causeway / 1st Link.
Note: All fares quoted below are maximum values. "Card" refers to EZ-Link card or applicable contactless cards that is not cash. When using SimplyGo / EZ-Link card, distance-charging applies and fares may be lower.
1. SBS Transit 170 departs from Queen Street Bus Terminal and stops at bus-stops en-route to Woodlands Checkpoint, so it has a long travelling time. It calls at the bus stop opposite Kranji MRT Station too. The service is non-stop in Johor Bahru till Larkin Sentral. The fare is S$3 (cash) or S$2.30 (card) from Queen Street to Larkin Sentral. It is S$2.70 (S$1.79 by card) from bus-stop opposite Kranji Station.
2. SBS Transit 170X is a shorter-distance service of SBS Transit 170 that plies between Kranji MRT Station and JB CIQ. The fare is S$2.10 (cash) or S$1.30 (card) from Kranji Station to JB CIQ. This service has higher departure frequency than other bus services.
3. SBS Transit 160 plies the route between Jurong Town Hall Bus Interchange and JB CIQ. It calls at the bus-stop opposite Kranji MRT Station too. The fare is S$2.80 (cash) or S$2.04 (card) from Jurong Town Hall Bus Interchange (Berth B3) to JB CIQ. It is S$2.10 (S$1.40 by card) from bus-stop opposite Kranji Station.
4. SMRT 950 serves the route between Woodlands (Temp.) Interchange and JB CIQ. The fare from Woodlands Interchange to JB CIQ is S$1.90 (cash) or S$1.25 (card).
Note: SBS Transit 160 / 170 / 170X and SMRT 950 are inter-transferable between Woodlands Checkpoint and JB CIQ at no extra costs. Use EZ-Link card or contactless payment for greater savings and convenience.
5. Causeway Link CW1 operates between Kranji MRT Station and JB CIQ. The fare is S$2.60 (cash) or S$2 (contactless payment such as EZ-Link, ManjaLink, etc) to JB CIQ / Larkin Sentral. It may be cheaper to use other services if going to JB CIQ.
6. Causeway Link CW2 departs from Queen Street Bus Terminal, takes an express route to Woodlands Checkpoint, and terminates at JB CIQ. The fare is S$4.80 to JB CIQ / Larkin Sentral. This is the only cross-border bus service that operates round the clock. Night services operate from 11pm to 4:15am at 45 minutes interval.
7. Causeway Link CW5 departs from Newton Circus, is non-stop all the way to Woodlands Checkpoint and terminates at JB CIQ. The fare is S$4.60 to JB CIQ / Larkin Sentral.
Note: Ticket fares for Causeway Link CW1 / CW2 / CW5 are flat-rates regardless of destinations. All Causeway Link services CW1 / CW2 / CW5 / CWL are inter-transferable between Woodlands Checkpoint and JB CIQ at no extra costs. (More info: Causeway Link)
8. Singapore-Johore Express (SJE) departs from Queen Street Bus Terminal and take the same express route as Causeway Link CW2 to Woodlands Checkpoint, then to JB CIQ and continues to Larkin Sentral. It is non-stop both in Singapore and Johor Bahru. The fare is S$4.80 to JB CIQ / Larkin Sentral and is not transferable to other bus services.
9. Cross Border AC7, operated by Ridewell Travel, is a private bus service that plies between Yishun Interchange and JB CIQ. The fare is S$3 (cash) or S$2.50 (contactless payment).
Note: For all fares paid in cash or issued with ticket stubs, keep ticket stubs for re-boarding of respective services at the checkpoints to continue journey.
10. Operated by Transtar Travel, there are Transtar Cross-Border Services from Changi Airport, Resorts World Sentosa and Marina Square (coming soon) to JB CIQ / Larkin Sentral. (More info: Transtar Travel)
11. SMRT 178, when operating from Boon Lay Interchange to Woodlands Interchange (not vice versa), will make stops opposite Kranji Station and at Woodlands Train Checkpoint — it does not go to Woodlands Checkpoint. From Woodlands Train Checkpoint, it is possible to walk to the departure hall of Woodlands Checkpoint. This is an alternative when traffic leading to the checkpoint is slow moving.
Suggestions:
For those staying in the south or eastern part of Singapore, taking Causeway Link CW2 or Singapore-Johor Express (SJE) from Queen Street Bus Terminal may be an easier option — don't lose the ticket stub, you will need to show it to the bus driver when re-boarding respective buses at the checkpoints.
For those staying in the west and north, it does not make sense to go to Queen Street Bus Terminal for the express buses. Get to Kranji Station for SBS Transit 170X or Causeway Link CW1 at the station or SBS Transit 160 / 170 opposite the station to the checkpoint. Or get to Woodlands Station or Marsiling Station for SMRT 950 or Yishun Station for AC7 to avoid long queues at Kranji Station during peak hours.
Those staying in the central part of Singapore may use Causeway Link CW5 from Newton Circus for speedier journey to Woodlands Checkpoint.
B. From Singapore to Johor via Tuas Checkpoint
There are few bus services, operated mainly by Causeway Link, from different bus interchanges in the west of Singapore to Tuas Checkpoint for crossing over to Gelang Patah, Johor, via the 2nd Link.
1. Causeway Link CW3/4 operates from Berth B5 in Jurong Town Hall Interchange to Tuas Checkpoint, and then to Sultan Abu Bakar CIQ (a.k.a. 2nd-Link CIQ). After Malaysia immigration clearance, transfer to:
CW3L for Bukit Indah and Perling Mall. The fare is S$5.
CW4G/CW7 for Gelang Patah Terminal, then transfer to CW4/52T for Pontian. The fare is S$5.
CW4S for Sutera Mall. The fare is S$6.
CW7L for Medini. New trip fare is RM4.50.
FC1 for Forest City. New trip fare is RM4.50.
4. Causeway Link CW6 departs from Boon Lay Way bus-stop (beside Boon Lay MRT Station) to Tuas Checkpoint, then 2nd-Link CIQ and terminates at Perling Mall. The fare to Bukit Indah and Perling Mall is S$5 and is transferable with CW3L after 2nd-Link CIQ.
5. Causeway Link CW7 departs from a bus-stop opposite Tuas Link Station to Tuas Checkpoint, then 2nd-Link CIQ and terminates at Gelang Patah Terminal. The fare to Gelang Patah Terminal is S$4.50 and is transferable with CW4G after 2nd-Link CIQ.
Note: Causeway Link CW3 / CW4S / CW6 / CW7 are inter-transferable between Tuas Checkpoint and 2nd-Link CIQ at no extra costs. For all fares paid in cash or issued with ticket stubs, keep ticket stubs for re-boarding of respective services at the checkpoints to continue journey. (More info: Causeway Link)
6. Transtar Cross-Border Service TS6, operated by Transtar Travel, departs from The Star Vista to GP Sentral after 6pm. There is only one service per day from Singapore and the maximum fare is S$6. (More info: Transtar TS6)
Last few things to note:
In Singapore, use SimplyGo EZ-Link cards to enjoy concession fares, more savings via distance-charging and also for greater convenience. Contactless cards / eWallets may also be acceptable on some services.
When coming back from Johor, all bus fares may be paid in ringgits — for example, boarding Causeway Link CW2 in Singapore is S$4.80, it is RM4.80 when boarding in Johor. For SBS Transit / SMRT / AC7 services, EZ-Link cards cannot be used for payment in ringgits, so fares in ringgits will have to be paid using cash. Decide between saving few cents off the fares or use EZ-Link cards to avoid hassles and if you are continuing on other public transports later. For Causeway Link services, use ManjaLink cards as fares will be charged in Malaysia ringgits.
Expect long queues during peak hours and on weekends.
For information on bus services to Larkin Sentral, read:
For bus services to Pontian, read:
For domestic bus services in Johor Bahru, read:
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