JOHOR BARU: Some who cross the Causeway daily for work are disappointed that there will no longer be a cheaper option starting today, as a bus company has decided to hike its fare to RM4.80 from RM3.30.
In a notice posted at Larkin Sentral Bus Terminal and the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex (BSI CIQ), bus company Singapore-Johore Express (SJE) announced the price increase of RM1.50 effective today.
The bus fare is the same for the Larkin Sentral to Queen Street (Singapore) and BSI CIQ to Queen Street routes.
Daily commuter S. Kelly, 29, did a simple calculation and concluded that she will now have to spend an additional RM36 to travel across the border.
“It was only a matter of time before the bus company increased its price, as everything is getting more expensive these days.
“I do not mind paying, as the SJE bus takes me directly to my destination.
“There is another bus service operated by SBS Transit, which is cheaper I believe, but it is time consuming as it makes many stops along the way,” said the sales assistant.
Another commuter Hang Hui Sek, 41, said: “I usually take the SJE bus or the yellow bus to Queen Street as it is near my workplace.
“It is not too much of a burden for me, but it was nice to have a cheaper alternative,” said the van driver.
The yellow bus Hang was referring to is the Causeway Link, which charges passengers RM4.80 to Queen Street, RM4.60 to Newton and RM2.60 to Kranji.
Promoter Alan Kiew, 42, said he will stick to taking the SJE despite the price increase due to the direct route.
“The bus has no stops except at the immigration checkpoint, then it is straight to my destination, which takes about one-and-a-half hours in total.
“I used to cross the Causeway on my motorcycle, but I switched to the bus about a year ago because of the unpredictable weather.
“I will continue utilising this service because it is less packed than others when I enter Singapore after lunch time,” he said.
Pharmacy manager Siti Noor Azleen Azlin, 29, said: “I have no preference on which bus I take, as I usually hop on whichever bus is available at the time.
“I think it is fair that the bus company has increased its price as other companies have done so a while ago,” added Siti Noor Azleen, who has been commuting to and from Singapore daily for the past four years.
SJE’s Larkin Sentral station head, only known as Lim, said it has been years since the bus company last increased its prices.
He said only the fare from Johor Baru to Singapore has increased while the fare for the return route remains the same at S$3.30 (RM11.54).
“Our buses, and we are one of the oldest bus companies offering cross-border services, are mostly packed from 5.30am until 9am during weekdays as people rush for work.
“There is still a demand for our services as we are one of three bus companies offering cross-border services at the moment,” he said.
