Singapore reviewing Malaysia’s request to start cross-border buses from Johor Bahru at 4am
Singapore’s Land Transport Authority and local bus operators are reviewing a Malaysian proposal to begin cross-border bus services from Johor Bahru an hour earlier, starting at 4am, to address heavy pre-dawn commuter traffic.
- Singapore’s LTA received Malaysia’s request on 17 June to start cross-border buses from Johor Bahru at 4am.
- The move is intended to ease congestion caused by early queues at the checkpoint.
- Current services typically start between 5am and 5.50am, depending on the route and day.
Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) is reviewing a request from Malaysia to begin cross-border bus services from Johor Bahru to Singapore an hour earlier, at 4am. The current earliest services start at 5am.
According to The Straits Times on 29 July, LTA confirmed it had received the formal request from Malaysia’s Land Public Transport Agency (APAD) on 17 June.
In a statement to the newspaper, LTA said, “We are working with our bus operators to review the request.” The operators include SBS Transit (SBST), SMRT, and several private transport companies.
Malaysia’s appeal was reported by Malaysian daily The Star on 24 July. According to the report, APAD is in discussions with LTA to initiate the earlier operations.
Johor state Works, Transportation, Infrastructure and Communication Committee chairman Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh explained the rationale behind the request.
He said long lines of commuters headed for Singapore often form at the Johor Bahru Checkpoint as early as 4am.
He added that an earlier start to bus services could help alleviate the congestion faced by workers and students crossing the border in the early hours.
Currently, SBST’s service 160 operates from Johor Bahru Checkpoint, with the first departure at 5am on weekdays. On weekends and public holidays, it begins at 5.50am.
SBST also runs service 170, connecting Larkin Terminal in Johor Bahru to Queen Street Terminal near Jalan Besar in Singapore. Its weekday departures start at 5.20am, while weekend and public holiday services begin at 5.30am.
Another service, 170X, also operated by SBST, offers a truncated version of the 170 route. The earliest weekday departure from Johor Bahru is at 8.28am.
In addition, SMRT operates service 950 from Johor Bahru Checkpoint to Woodlands Temporary Bus Interchange. While SMRT has not publicly disclosed the first departure time from Johor Bahru, the return route from Singapore begins at 5.30am daily.
Private operators such as Singapore-Johore Express, Ridewell Travel, and Transtar Travel also run cross-border routes between Larkin Terminal, Johor Bahru Checkpoint, and various points in Singapore.
These services play a key role in the daily commute for thousands of Malaysian workers and students entering Singapore, especially during peak morning hours.
In March 2024, Johor Immigration Department director Baharuddin Tahir stated that the average daily number of travellers passing through both the Sultan Iskandar Building and Sultan Abu Bakar Complex customs, immigration, and quarantine checkpoints ranged between 430,000 and 450,000.
