During the Good Friday weekend, a record-breaking 510,000 individuals cleared the Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints to get to JB (Johor Bahru).
On average, around 350,000 people use the Causeway daily, making it one of the busiest border crossings in the world.
Both the Singapore and Malaysian governments have been exploring ways to help ease the congestion; from diversifying transportation options to enhancing border control systems (QR-based immigration clearance, automated clearance for cars and more).
In March, Johor gave the green light for a two-month trial to open a third pedestrian route to get to the JB checkpoint through a hotel shortcut.
The prospect of the $2.9 billion Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS), coming onstream in end 2026 Link will be a game-changer, moving 10,000 commuters during peak hours from Woodlands North Station (LRT) in Singapore to the Bukit Chagar Station in JB.
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Meanwhile, the domestic discussions are ongoing as everyone has a view on how to make the Causeway run as painless as possible. Nobody enjoys sitting in traffic snarls that could last several hours.
Though it is almost guaranteed that there is no perfect choice – every transport medium carries their own trade-offs – understanding the cost, convenience, trip duration and more, could help in your decision.
Read the article to find out more about the various ways to get to JB!
Get to JB with public transport
- Bus
Regardless of where you live in Singapore, you can catch a bus and reach JB in one (off peak) to four hours.
Below is a schedule to help you figure out what works for you. All of the buses go through the Woodlands Checkpoint except for CW3, CW4, CW6 and TS6, which go through the Tuas Checkpoint instead.
This information would be highlighted in the table below. You may want to specifically select buses depending on how congested each checkpoint is during your time of travel.
| Starting Point in Singapore | Drop Off Place in JB | Bus Names | Price (SGD) | Time and Intervals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jurong Town Hall Bus Interchange | Perling Mall | CW 3 | $5 | Daily 7:30 am - 11:30 pm, every 20-30 minutes |
| Terminal Pontian | CW 4 | $5 | Daily 7:30 am - 6:20 pm, every 15-30 minutes | |
| JB Checkpoint | SBS 160 | $0.99 | Daily 5:25 am to midnight, every 12-20 minutes | |
| Kranji MRT | JB Sentral Bus Terminal | SBS 170X | $0.99 | Daily 5:37 am - 11:37 pm, every 2-11 minutes |
| JB Checkpoint | CW 1 | $2.60 | Daily 6:30 am - 11:30 pm, every 15-30 minutes | |
| Queen Street Bus Terminal | JB Checkpoint | CW 2 | $4.80 | 24 hours, every 15-30 minutes |
| JB Checkpoint | SBS 170 | $0.99 | Daily 5:20 am - 12:10am, every 15-25 minutes. | |
| Larkin Bus Terminal OR JB Sentral | Singapore-Johor Express Bus (SJE) | $4.80 | Daily 6:30 am to 12 am, every 30-45 minutes | |
| Newton Circus | JB Checkpoint | CW 5 | $4.60 | Daily 6:45 am - 11:30 pm, every 45 minutes |
| Changi Airport Terminal 1 | JB Checkpoint | TS 1 | $11 | Daily 8:15 am - 9:15 pm, specific timings, see schedule |
| Resort World Sentosa | JB Checkpoint | TS 8 | $8 | Daily 8 am to 10 pm, specific timings, see schedule |
| Boon Lay Bus Interchange | JB Giant Nusa Bestari Terminal | CW 6 | $5 | Daily 7:30 am - 10:40 pm, every 15-25 minutes |
| Woodlands Temp Interchange | JB Sentral Bus Terminal | SMRT 950 | $0.99 | Daily 5:30 am - 11:30 pm, every 9-14 minutes |
| Buona Vista - The Star Vista | G.P. Sentral Bus Terminal | TS 6 | $6 | Mon-Sat 8 am to 6 pm, specific timings, see schedule |
SBS 170 also stops at other bus stops along the way, like Little India station, Newton Station and Kranji station. Here is the full list of bus stops:
TransitLink eGuide – Bus Service Information.
- Train - KTM Shuttle Tebrau
The only train access to JB Sentral is from the Woodlands Checkpoint. The five-minute journey costs $5 per trip.
Booking for tickets are open online six months in advance, but tickets are snapped up as soon as they are offered.
The train from Singapore runs several times a day — starting from 8 30 am to 11 45 pm — every 1 hr 15 mins.
Get to JB with private vehicles
- Private Taxis and Chartered Vehicles
A personal chauffeur to JB – it does not get any better than this. You can select where and when to be picked up and dropped off, so there won’t be any bother fighting for seats, queuing in long lines for public transport or lugging around large suitcases. Though, remember to check with your car companies whether they offer a point-to-point route or doorstep service for pickups.
There are some companies that you can consider such as Taxi to JB, SG JB Taxi, My Private Hire and more. Prices will range depending on the dates you book and your selection of cars. The most common offers, however, include an Innova or an Alphard. There may be other selection of MPVs for those traveling in large groups e.g Toyota Vellfire, Staria, Starex and more.
Trips can be booked one-way or with a return trip directly. This return trip does not have to be arranged on the same day and can be scheduled to your liking. For an Innova (inclusive of a return trip), the prices commonly range around $200, whilst an Alphard can cost you around $300.
Side note for those traveling in large MPVs, the ICA announced that you may be diverted to the bus zones for arrival and departure immigration clearance at Tuas Checkpoint. This is to prevent congested lanes as smaller vehicles carrying less travelers do not have to wait for all the passengers in MPVs to be cleared.
Beyond that, this arrangement helps prevent chartered vehicles from taking an aggressive approach, working with each other to skip the queues – an issue that has surfaced quite frequently recently.
It is recommended that you book vehicles at least seven days in advance as agents will tend to be fully booked within three days prior to your chosen dates.
When needed, you can also charter a bus or a minivan through SG My Limo, SG Transport Booking and more for around $700-$800.
Lastly – a side benefit of chartering private vehicles – if you ever need some recommendations, your chauffeur probably can make recommendations.
- Driving Yourself
If you are a car owner, you can head for the JB Checkpoint through the Woodlands Checkpoint or Tuas Checkpoint in Singapore, at your convenience.
Selecting these checkpoints in Singapore will depend on the least congested option during your time of travel, which you can check through live traffic cameras on the Singapore Checkpoint Traffic app or this website by the Land Transport Authority.
The cost of going through the Woodlands Checkpoint is $0.80, whilst the cost of going through the Tuas Checkpoint is $2.10. Both checkpoints would need you to pay an additional RM 20 when you enter Malaysia.
The entire immigration clearance will be done on the road – unless you drive a large MPV in which case your passengers have to alight with their luggage and go through the bus halls for immigration clearance.
Singapore checkpoints have transitioned to QR code immigration, which speeds up the clearance process. However, you would still need your physical passport to clear the Malaysian checkpoint as they have not implemented the same QR-based immigration like Singapore.
