Malaysians living in Johor Bahru commute to Singapore for work. It’s a common scenario. It’s so common that reports currently put the approximate number of commuting Malaysians at about 400k people daily!
Commuters do this for a few prominent reasons. Mostly, it’s because they can enjoy lower costs of living and favourable exchange rates. They may even be able to sustain property such as apartments or houses for rent in JB while choosing to work in Singapore.
Despite all this, the commute to and from Singapore can be quite daunting, particularly at rush hour or during peak periods. If you take this causeway on a daily basis for work, here are a few tips to help make your commute easier.
Check the traffic conditions
Some people have no choice but to drive, or they insist on taking their cars across the causeway. There are multiple checkpoints throughout. This is just one of the factors contributing to the possibility of traffic jams on either side. To make things easier on yourself, consider looking online for websites that monitor live traffic statuses on the causeway (like Checkpoint.sg). These sites often pull live images from the roads at the Singapore and Malaysia checkpoints. Before you leave, check traffic conditions for your own comfort.
Know your fellow commuters
It can also help to have a general sense of who’s travelling on the causeway with you. If you know the different types of groups, you can do your best to try to avoid the crowds whenever possible. Commuter workers make up most of those on the causeway during weekdays, they usually cross to go to or return from work. You may be part of this group, in which case it’s quite unavoidable to be clumped together with the crowd. There are also day-trippers and tourists that usually cross from around 3 pm to 8 pm on Saturdays so plan around them. The best day to cross the causeway is Sunday, but if you’re working, then try to go a little earlier and leave a little later to avoid the rush hour crowds.
Use the shuttle train
One of the best ways to avoid the jam at the causeway is to take the shuttle train. This can save you the trouble of commuting via car. Being stuck in a jam while in your car is one of the worst experiences you can face, so it’s great that public transport of some form is available. The new shuttle train service, Shuttle Tebrau, can ferry commuters between JB Sentral and the Woodlands Checkpoint within 5 minutes and there are about 7 trips per day from each station. A ticket costs about $5 from Singapore to JB and RM5 from JB to Singapore, but the price is well worth the convenience.
The KTM and buses are available too
Other forms of public transport like buses and the KTM commuter train all run between Johor Bahru and Singapore. The trains run from JB Sentral to Woodlands in Singapore and vice versa, so by taking public transport, you can benefit from convenience at both ends. Costs are relatively higher from Singapore, because of the currency difference, so take that into consideration when allocating budget towards transportation expenses. The train ride itself can take under 10 minutes, and the schedule caters to commuters from Johor Bahru that have jobs in Singapore.
Consider carpooling
If you have co-workers that live in the same area as yourself, or if you have friends and family members taking the same commute, consider carpooling with them to save costs and lessen the burden. On that note, there’s an on-demand carpool app called Sameride (first established in 2016) that aims to “enhance ride communication among drivers and riders commuting on the same route”.
Starting 30 Dec 2019, the app has become fully operational for Johor to Singapore commuters, and there are already almost 300 users who have pre-registered for Sameride. It’s estimated that users can significantly reduce the costs of their commute by up to 2 times compared to taxi services by using this app.
Travelling to work is probably not what you consider a fun way to spend time. It might not have to be such a pain. Plan your journey and utilize resources, as well as forms of public transportation. A switch in mindset can also help. The better you plan your commute, the more focused and full of energy you can be throughout the day.
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