JOHOR BAHRU – When university undergraduate Lai Huan Zhe moved from Sarawak to Johor Bahru last year to pursue his studies, he was impressed by one thing – the city’s public buses.
The 22-year-old Universiti Teknologi Malaysia student said Johor’s buses are “generations apart” from his hometown of Sibu, where public bus routes are virtually non-existent.
But after a year of using them, he has also come to understand why many Johoreans still prefer driving.
“If there is a special occasion and I want to go to a restaurant or places in other suburbs with my friends, I still need to take a Grab after the bus,” he told The Straits Times, noting that routes are limited.
His experience reflects a wider challenge Johor faces as it prepares for the launch of the JB-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link in 2027 and seeks to improve connectivity under the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ).
Over the past few years, the state and federal governments have invested heavily in public bus services, expanding routes, increasing fleet sizes and improving infrastructure ahead of the RTS launch.
Yet despite these improvements, only around 37,000 commuters – 2.1 per cent of Johor Bahru’s 1.7 million population – use public buses daily in the city, according to figures shared with ST by the Johor Public Transport Corporation (PAJ).
Commuters said low frequencies and limited route coverage continue to make driving the more practical option. Meanwhile, transport experts argued that Johor’s next challenge is not merely to build more transport systems, but to make buses reliable enough to connect people to the RTS and their final destinations.
Responding to questions from youth at an outreach programme on May 22, Johor Menteri Besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi said the state’s immediate focus ahead of the RTS launch is to increase bus frequencies and expand park-and-ride facilities. The Johor government was recently dissolved on June 1 to make way for a state election that must be held by July 30.
“While bus services already exist, they may not cover Johor entirely. As a short-term measure, we will increase bus frequencies,” he said, adding that commuters would be encouraged to park outside the city centre and take shuttle buses into JB.
Lai, who attended the May 22 programme, told ST that due to limited route coverage of public buses, he often forks out between RM50 (S$16) and RM60 per day on private hire rides. This amount translates into a financial burden for many youth from all over the country at JB’s private and public universities.
“It could exceed RM100 during peak hours and on days where the congestion is really bad,” he added, noting that it strains his monthly allowance from his family.
Currently, JB’s public bus network is primarily supported by two publicly funded services.
BAS.MY JB, operated by Handal Indah, runs 162 buses across 21 routes serving JB, Kulai, Kota Tinggi and Pontian. Complementing it is the state-funded Bas Muafakat Johor service, which operates 79 buses across 65 routes serving residential neighbourhoods and smaller towns including faraway districts like Mersing, Segamat, Batu Pahat and Kluang.
According to PAJ’s Public Transport Master Plan, bus services now cover about 72 per cent of JB district, an area spanning roughly 1½ times the size of Singapore.
PAJ chief executive Mohd Fa’iz Salehon told ST that BAS.MY records an average daily ridership of about 31,000 passengers, while Bas Muafakat Johor carries around 6,137 passengers daily.
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