Going from S'pore to JB without breaking the law

Ride-hailing services have become a popular option for those visiting Malaysia in recent years, with the authorities recently clamping down hard on such services that are offered illegally.

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While these services offer convenience — picking up and dropping off commuters at their desired destinations - they lack the proper licences to transport passengers across borders.

They also lack proper insurance coverage for their passengers, with Senior Minister of State for Transport Sun Xueling saying in a Facebook post on Aug 6 that “such services put passengers at risk, and harm the livelihoods of law-abiding licensed drivers”.

Unless the rules change, these are the legal ways for those in Singapore to enter Johor Bahru.

BY BUS

This transport mode has the most options, from public buses to private operators.

Public transport is the cheapest, with bus services 160, 170, 170X and 950 offering cross-border rides.

SBS Transit operates bus service 160 between Jurong Town Hall Interchange and JB Sentral Bus Terminal. Departures start at 5.25am. every day, according to its website.

It also runs service 170 between Larkin Terminal in Johor Bahru and Queen Street Terminal, near Jalan Besar, with the first bus departing at 5.20am daily.

Service 170X — which plies only a section of service 170’s route — is also run by SBS Transit, with the first bus leaving Johor Bahru at 8.28am on weekdays.

Meanwhile, service 950 is operated by SMRT, and travels from the Woodlands Temporary Bus Interchange to JB Sentral Bus Terminal before returning to Woodlands.