Personal - Bus Over The Border Together

Hi Blog,

In 2024 and 2025, I mentioned that one of my wishlists was to travel with colleagues, because it can help build memories besides work and also means they are comfortable and enjoy travelling together. The same rules applied with friends.

Today was the day to continue building good memories with my colleagues.

Traveling can really test an individual's character when they aren't carrying job professionalism and politeness, bringing out their actual personality and social awareness, especially in a group. Also, it is a test for myself too.

I was reading about the new route to JB, and today the main objective is to try it out with my colleagues.

Typically, I would take our local bus from Woodlands Interchange to Singapore Customs, so this time, I suggested we try something different.

Yes! We will be taking the Causeway Link bus, also known as the CW bus. I am curious how it works.

I kept on saying 'WC bus,' which puzzled my colleagues recently. What a joke!

Based on Smart Local, there are many CW bus services at different locations. Based on everyone's residential areas, taking CW2 from Bugis is the best option. At the end of my blog post, I will conclude my experience comparing taking the public bus from Woodlands and CW.

Things to take note of: going to JB during weekends, especially these few weeks, it will be packed. From my past experience, waiting and queuing for buses, the CW2 queue seems normal and less intimidating.

The CW bus frequency is approximately 10-15 minutes, and they come in packs of 5-6 buses, which helps to clear the queue. I believe it will only happen during peak times, like weekend mornings.

Our first group photo for the day - only guy with a group of ladies. Honestly, I have never imagined myself accompanied by ladies because... the ladies would be strongly forced to have the idea that Jeff is in their group... I understand I am not their handsome pick so I am not welcomed... So I would rather be myself most of the time.

While we were waiting, we noticed another bus, different from CW, arrive and pick up passengers.

Then I went ahead to inspect and discovered there were two different lines - yellow for Causeway bus and red for SJE.

SJE stands for Singapore-Johor Express. And interestingly, the bus charge for the SJE and CW is the same.

Looking at the queue for CW started to increase, we decided to try SJE because the queue was shorter...

However, SJE only picked up the actual number of passengers it had seats for. It was a 40-seater bus, so once it filled up with 40 passengers, it would leave, leaving us behind for the next SJE bus. And to top it off, we were suntanning for at least 30 minutes, and the ladies somehow got a bit jumpy as the shelter wasn't blocking the sun from our side.

To make the situation worse, the passengers who queued way behind us in the CW line were about to board the CW2 buses. Even though I could sense the dissatisfaction in the air, fortunately, everyone tried to be understanding, knowing that we were trying a new thing out and that we would have a seat on the next bus.

The SJE bus pulled in. We tapped our EZ-Link cards (you can also pay cash or use a credit card, but make sure to bring the exact change) and collected a ticket.

(Image taken on 7th Feb 2026) Some useful information for CW bus services; it seemed like it goes to Tuas, too.

Yippee! Our SJE arrived!

Total waiting time here: an hour. I guessed this because we missed our turn while queuing in the CW line for 30 minutes before shifting to the SJE queue line. At least we have a seat.

SJE bus will ensure everyone has their seats, and no one should stand, so you need to calculate the number of passengers in the SJE queue line for 40-seater buses.

(Credit ML) Time to go to Singapore customs! Let's go! Weird though... I was sitting on the right side of the bus, but the image showed as if I sat on the left side.

Keep this ticket safe! We'll need to show it at Singapore customs and to the driver before getting on the bus again.

Even though some people will argue that taking the SJE or CW bus at Bugis is a waste of time, since we could just take a public bus at Woodlands Interchange, which is nearer to customs and costs less, it honestly depends on which aspects you value and view. It is an undeniable fact that the bus fare is definitely lower and the distance is relatively shorter. I will conclude my experience and comparison at the bottom of my blog if you are still reading.

It took about 30 minutes to reach Singapore customs — long, but smooth.

The queue for buses after Singapore customs wasn't surprising, especially on these weekends before Chinese New Year, but it was still insane.

Going to the left is for Singapore buses, ahead of me is for CW buses, and the crowd was overwhelming.

The queue diverged into a different direction, with our SJE bus positioned to our right.

I felt positive in our decision, as I recognised some individuals who had queued and boarded the CW bus earlier, yet were still waiting for subsequent buses.

Because the SJE bus had arrived less than a minute ago while we were in the queue.

Calling me out for being insensitive, but at that moment I felt happy and couldn't stop myself from expressing the joy (of making the right decision) and started to wave at the long queue, trying to show off to them.

Let's go!

After five minutes, once everyone has gotten in fully, the bus driver started to drive off. It is actually a good system to know the actual number of people rather than waiting blindly for anyone to get up. Now, looking at the queues... Overwhelming.

Smooth! Just too smooth! If we hadn't missed the first SJE bus, we would be busy shopping or having breakfast already, but overall, the queuing was minimal.

The queue was madness, which led some visitors to walk along the bridge to cross over to JB Customs. If I were alone, I might do so too, as it would be faster and save time. Come to think of it, they should have a sheltered lane for visitors to take a stroll to reduce congestion for buses.

After settling in JB customs, it's time for shopping and a meal.

We had arrived at TROVE and decided to see if we were allowed to check in early.

Beautiful light above.

Spacious lobby which is my favourite.

Why were we here in JB? Because of Chinese New Year, I had a very clear objective: to get a pair of new shoes and a ring light for my cosplay, and perhaps enjoy a bit of sushi, too.

What an interesting and symmetrical design in the lift.

And a seamless wavy carpet, which shows that this hotel has taste.

The room is clean and spacious, complemented by elegant floral artwork. The wooden flooring and cream-colored walls create a homely atmosphere.

Ooo, the window still creates a dramatic effect in photos, but using the wrong model (ugly-me) is the main cause for being unable to capture the true effect.

The best part is that I have an unblocked view of Malaysia; along the horizon is Singapore.

How neatly and cleanly they keep this room!

They even serve fresh-cut fruits to the guests, which is very thoughtful.

Honestly, I wish my house would feel like a hotel room. The toilet seemed calm and well lit.

Best of all, having a big bed all by myself!

After settled our stuff in the room, I was trying to take a mirror selfie, but my colleague spotted me and dashed away to vomit in a corner. Haha

(Credit banana leaf staff) Our first shopping trip at Mid Valley Mall seemed like everyone's favourite spot. After having lunch, we headed out for our objective. Pity ML had to accompany the elders.

I was trying to look for a pair of shoes. Sadly, the ones I liked—like the left photo—don't have my size, and the right photo is expensive as I am on a budget; I will wait for its sale. Which pair do you like?

Without much purchase, besides buying some food, we returned to the hotel to take a short rest (in fact, it was a very kind gesture from my colleagues as they knew I would like to have a quick swim) before heading out to the next mall.

Here is the swimming pool in the TROVE.

It looked rather small and meh...

Nothing is more 'meh' than my disgusting body; even the family behind me was shocked to see a dude in trunks here.

I couldn't be bothered because I wanted to swim.

I also wish that I could boost the scenery here, but I know I am not that demigod who can make it work magically.

Oh my, the water was cold, and the loop was short, but at least I got to enjoy how the water flowed along my body and disgusted that family to shorten their fun time.

Now, I had the whole pool by myself!

In the past, I would feel lousy... And even though I still do witness such situations... But now, I don't care! I didn't do anything to chase or scare them off by parading myself in front of their kid. They can continue to use the pool. I didn't stop them from using the pool, even though I was disgusted by them, but it's their choice. I also wish I had a great body for anyone to admire and worship...

Anyway, I will just live in that moment.

Too bad, that moment didn't have any sun so I could suntan...

Perhaps I would snap a few more photos of this-nerd.

Time to go back.

Weird... I had a very strong feeling that I had to leave the place...

I was trying to learn why I felt that way, like I needed to go ASAP.

When I stepped out of the toilet, I understood why I had that feeling. It's trying to protect me from more stares, judgments, and self-disappointment.

Met up with my colleagues again for another mall visit and dinner.

While I continued my hunt for shoes, I wanted to get back to my previous shoes, which I bought in 2024, but they don't have my size anymore...

In the end, I didn't get anything, and it's time to return to the hotel. Let's have one last group photo here.

I had a good rest last night, and the morning sun woke me up.

I thought to myself: should I go for a quick morning swim before breakfast with my colleagues? I still had that strong feeling... Or maybe the pool was too small to be satisfying... Here, I just demonstrated how dramatic a large window can be for a thought or emotional scene.

So, I went down early to reserve a table for my colleagues for the hotel breakfast.

It seemed like there was nothing I could eat besides scrambled eggs and cut fruits.

Luckily, they didn't mix with garlic and onions.

Okay, everyone had arrived, and I can't believe that the ladies surely love the hotel breakfast session. They can stay there for hours; for guys, we finished and off we went.

I went back to the swimming pool, and that strong feeling gave me some answers. Luckily, I was not there to disgust anyone; I left them in peace.

Every day is a summer day at our pool. If you have a bigger pool, perhaps it would be even more fun.

Looking at Malaysia Street, it gives me a unique vibe—humble and grounded, yet with a sense of the inevitable changes in human interaction due to the country's financial growth... Kind of sad...

It seemed like the ladies still felt full from their lunch, and as we checked out after breakfast, I went to a Kinsahi restaurant for my own meal.

Japanese curry rice (vegetarian) - yummy, and worth the price.

Eventually, I found a beautiful pair of shoes, yellow in contrast to the black. Very edgy. I think I actually love such shoes in first sight.

Time to return to Singapore. This time we decided to take the CW bus; the queue seemed long, but it was alright because the queue had never stopped moving.

The yellow signage seemed friendly.

The CW queue has many folds, like our human intestine, but you will get to an empty bus after ten minutes of moving through the queue.

Here, we cannot use our local EZ-Link card, so we will pay RM 5 to obtain this ticket and continue our journey back to Bugis. The bus driver will ask for your preferred stop. If you want a ride to Singapore Customs and don't continue the journey, you will pay a different amount.

Yippee, we got our own seat, and last group shot for the day.

Back to Singapore, the queue to CW seemed as usual as our local bus. But here, it seemed rather less crowded.

It seemed like we got a seat rather than standing on the bus. What a blessed journey we had.

Here, I will draw a small conclusion from my experience taking the CW or SJE bus. In short, both the local SBS bus and the CW/SJE buses have their own pros and cons when crossing from Singapore to JB.

Taking the local SBS bus is usually cheaper, especially if you are still within the transfer time. However, the queues can be very long, both at Woodlands and again after clearing immigration. During weekends, you may spend a lot of time waiting for the bus, even though the frequency increases.

For CW2 and SJE buses, the fare is higher, but the queue is usually shorter. CW2 buses come more frequently and allow standing passengers, so the line tends to move faster. SJE buses come less often, but they only take seated passengers, which makes the ride more comfortable and the boarding process quicker once your turn comes.

Overall, if you want to save money and don’t mind longer queues, the local SBS bus is a good choice. If you prefer a shorter wait and a slightly more comfortable ride, CW2 or SJE may be better options. It really depends on whether you value cost or convenience more on that day.

Jeff