EXACTLY How To Avoid Jam When Travel Between Singapore & JB On Friday, Saturday & Sunday
So near yet so far!
That’s the feeling we get when you are travelling between Singapore and JB due to its famous and formidable traffic congestion.
Whether you are travelling for work or leisure, crossing the bridge can be quite nerve-wrecking if you end up being caught in the jam packed traffic.
I cannot create miracles for you by making all the vehicles disappear on the road while you travel on the bridge (wished I could myself!).
What I can do is to break down the best timing to travel between Singapore and JB in various situations.
Good Luck!
1. Best Time To Go JB On Friday (From Singapore)
2. Best Time To Go JB On Saturday (From Singapore)
3. Best Time To Go JB On Sunday (From Singapore)
4. Best Time To Cross Woodlands Checkpoint On Weekdays (Normal Week)
5. Best Time To Go JB On Singapore Public Holidays (From Singapore)
6. Best Time To Go JB On Singapore School Holidays (From Singapore)
7. Best Time To Go Singapore On Saturday (From JB)
8. Best Time To Go Singapore On Sunday (From JB)
9. How To Cross Singapore & Johor Customs Faster Using Public Bus
How To Avoid Jam When Travel Between Singapore & JB
1. Best Time To Go JB On Friday (From Singapore)
Friday is counted as a weekend once after office hours because it has a different set of traffic pattern compared to those on Mondays to Thursdays.
Best time to go JB on a Friday:
- Before 9:00am
- 12:00pm till 3:00pm
- After 10:00pm
1.1 Woodlands Checkpoint Jam Timing On Friday
Road-users from Singapore to JB on Friday:
- Malaysians working in Singapore going back home (JB)
- Weekend travellers to JB.
| 9am to 12pm | 1. Singaporeans day tripper (usually for shopping and leisure) 2. Containers and truck loads coming into Malaysia |
| 3pm to 4pm | Day shift workers going back to JB |
| 5pm to 10pm | 1. Full day workers (majority workers) going back to JB 2. Singaporeans planning for weekend trip to Malaysia |
| After 11pm | Night shift workers going back to JB |
1.2 Tuas Checkpoint Jam Timing On Friday
Tuas checkpoint’s traffic condition is generally slightly better than at Woodlands Checkpoint BUT their peak hours are the same as below:
- 9am to 12am
- 3pm to 4pm
- 5pm to 10pm
- After 11pm
2. Best Time To Go JB On Saturday (From Singapore)
The traffic from Singapore to JB on a Saturday can be slightly nightmarish for some (traffic can be quite bad and may result to a 2-4 hours queue time at checkpoints).
However, there is a small window of opportunity for travelling to JB on a Saturday if you have no other options.
Best Time To Go JB On A Saturday:
In all honesty, it is best to avoid travelling to JB on a Saturday.
If you really need to travel on this day, you can aim for the below times:
- Before 8:00am
- After 10:00pm
Also read: Electronic Arrival Card Singapore
2.1 Woodlands Checkpoint Jam Timing On Saturday
Road-Users from Singapore to JB on Saturday:
- Singaporeans crossing over to Johor for their shopping and makan
- Workers that have 5.5 working days per week.
| 8am to 12pm | 1. Tour busses reaching as early as 8:00am onwards 2. Singaporeans day tripper (usually for shopping and leisure) 3. Trucks travelling back to Malaysia |
| 12pm to 8pm | 1. Half-day first shift workers going back to JB at about 12:00pm onwards 2. Half-day second shift workers going back to JB at about 4:00pm |
| 5pm to 10pm | Singaporeans day trippers for late shopping, dinner and supper |
2.2 Tuas Checkpoint Jam Timing On Saturday
Just like Woodlands Checkpoint, Saturdays’ traffic condition is very bad. Hence, it is best not to travel to JB on a Saturday.
If you really need to travel on this day, you can aim for the below times:
Best Time To Go JB On A Saturday:
- Before 8:00am
- After 10:00pm
3. Best Time To Go JB On Sunday (From Singapore)
Sunday is the “best weekend” when it comes to the traffic situation at the checkpoints mainly due to the significant decrease of workers needing to work on this day.
Best Time To Go JB On A Sunday:
Generally, travelling to JB from Singapore on a Sunday can be done any time.
However, in order to have the best smooth flowing journey would be during the times mentioned below:
- Before 8:00am
- After 2:00pm
Also read: Taxi from Singapore to City Square JB
3.1 Woodlands Checkpoint Jam Timing On Sunday
Road-Users from Singapore to JB on Sunday:
- Singapore day trippers
- Just a handful of workers in retail outlets
| 9am to 2pm | Singaporeans day trippers |
3.2 Tuas Checkpoint Jam Timing On Sunday
Similar to Woodlands Checkpoint, Sunday is the best day to travel to JB from Singapore on a normal week.
Therefore, the Best Time To Go JB on Sunday:
- Before 8:00am
- After 2:00pm
4. Best Time To Cross Woodlands Checkpoint On Weekdays (Normal Week)
Weekdays on a normal week means all working days from Monday to Thursday (refer to Part 1.1 for traffic condition on a Friday).
Best Time To Go JB On A Weekday (Normal Week):
- 6:00am till 8:00am
- 12:00pm till 4:00pm
- After 8:00pm
Also read: How To Go To JB Sentral From Singapore
4.1 Woodlands Checkpoint Jam Timing On Weekdays
Road-Users from Singapore to JB on Weekdays (Monday to Thursday):
- Malaysians working in Singapore going back home (JB)
- Just a handful of Singapore day trippers
| 9am to 12pm | 1. Singaporeans day tripper (usually for shopping and leisure) 2. Containers and truck loads coming into Malaysia |
| 3pm to 4pm | Day shift workers going back to JB |
| 5pm to 8pm | Full day workers (majority workers) going back to JB |
| After 11pm | Night shift workers going back to JB |
- Peak from 5:00pm onwards due to Malaysians going back to their hometowns.
- Traffic slowly disperse from 8:00pm onwards
4.2 Tuas Checkpoint Jam Timing On Weekdays
Just like Woodlands Checkpoint, the road users on weekdays (Monday to Thursday in this case) consists mostly of working people.
Best Time To Go JB On A Weekday (Normal Week):
- 6:00am till 8:00am
- 12:00pm till 4:00pm
- After 8:00pm
5. Best Time To Go JB On Singapore Public Holidays (From Singapore)
Predicting the traffic during Singapore public holidays can be quite subjective and rely on many factors including the nature of the holiday.
Traffic situation during public holidays which falls on either Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday all depends on what type of holiday event.
It is also important to note whether or not Malaysia is also observing the same day of public holiday.
A good example would be for:
- Ching Ming Festival is a day where Chinese pray to their ancestors which can be done as early as 3 weeks in advance.
- Traffic during this duration of time can be nightmarish especially during weekends at both Woodlands and Tuas Checkpoints
- There was actually a record of up till 9 hours of traffic held up at these checkpoints on a Saturday during Ching Ming Festival.
If the event of the holiday is not observed by many people, then the traffic flow would be quite similar to normal weeks’ Sunday.
Also read: Malaysia Public Holidays
5.1 What If Friday Is Singapore Public Holiday?
Singapore Public Holiday that falls on a Friday will subsequently cause the below scenarios:
- Thursday night traffic will be highly congested from 6:00pm and drags till midnight (comparatively to the normal 6:00pm till 8:00pm congestion)
- Friday will be the “new Saturday” where traffic is horrible for almost the whole day (from 8:00am till 10:00pm)
- Saturday would be a reasonably good day to travel with the exception of 2:00pm till 4:00pm considering the workers that still have to work half day.
- Sunday is a good day for day trippers especially after 2:00pm
5.2 What If Saturday Is Singapore Public Holiday?
Generally, the traffic on Saturday wouldn’t be much of a difference if it is a public holiday (it is still as bad as a normal weekend Saturday as shown in Part 2).
The only difference is workers who need to work half day on a Saturday will highly likely to travel back to JB on Friday night or Saturday morning.
5.3 What If Sunday & Monday Are Singapore Public Holiday?
Best Time To Travel If Sunday & Monday are Singapore Public Holiday:
- After 2:00pm on Sunday or Monday
If a public holiday falls on a Sunday, Monday will automatically be a holiday too as it is brought forward to the next day.
Saturday’s traffic will be horrendous due to more Singapore workers travelling back home to Malaysia for the long weekend.
Sunday and Monday would be much better days to travel from Singapore to JB compared to Saturday.
6. Best Time To Go JB On Singapore School Holidays (From Singapore)
The best time to enter Singapore during school holidays would be in the middle of weekdays (Tuesdays till Thursdays) even if it means taking the additional annual leave.
Many families with school-going children will take this opportunity to have family bonding time through trips during school holidays.
There is no other way to sugarcoat the amount of jam caused during school holidays.
To have an idea on the traffic situation during this period, all you need is to imagine the total amount of vehicles crossing the checkpoints to be tripled!
Basically, weekends (inclusive of Fridays) would be such a nightmare.
7. Best Time To Go Singapore On Saturday (From JB)
Traffic from JB to Singapore is generally quite smooth flowing on a Saturday.
Best Time To Enter Singapore On Saturday (From JB):
- Anytime after 9:00am
7.1 Causeway Jam Timing On Saturday
Road users from JB to Singapore on Saturday:
- Half-day workers
- Tourists
| 7am to 8am | First shift half-day workers travelling to Singapore |
| 10am to 11am | Second shift half-day workers travelling to Singapore |
8. Best Time To Go Singapore On Sunday (From JB)
The best time to enter Singapore from JB on a Sunday is ANYTIME because traffic is generally smooth flowing on a Sunday.
8.1 Causeway Jam Timing On Sunday
Road Users from JB to Singapore on Sunday:
- Day trippers from JB
- Singaporean travelling home after a short trip to JB
| 9am to 10am | Malaysians travelling for a day trip to Singapore |
| 3pm to 4pm | Singaporeans travelling home |
9. How To Cross Singapore & Johor Customs Faster Using Public Bus
Majority of travellers uses public bus as their transportation between Singapore and JB.
Therefore, I thought it would be good for me to share some tips that could make your journey a little better.
Step 1: Queue at BOTH lanes for bus to JB
Queue at BOTH lanes namely for Bus 160 and Bus 170 because you will be boarding the SAME bus.
Step 2: Go towards the further left lanes labelled as “Singapore, Singapore PR and Malaysia Passport” & Scan your passport using ACS Machines.
Step 3: Travel light with a small backpack
Do take note that big luggage will need to be scanned through the X-ray machines and may be required to be opened for further checks by the immigration officer.
By travelling light, the process of alighting and boarding the bus will also be shorter and more comfortable.
Step 4: Queue at the back row during Immigration Checks at JB CIQ which will lead to TWO counters
(The arrangement of the immigration counters are made in two rows (i.e front row and back row). Hence, the queue at the back row usually moves faster than the front row while the queue at the front row only leads to one counter.)
Reminders:
- Step 4 is VALID during peak hours if all counters are opened & not applicable during off-peak hours, high chance not all counters are opened.
- Queues with more foreigners might also cause a delay because they require additional checks on their visa or work permits.
STEP 5: Get your passport ready when you are almost reaching the counters.
Hope you found the above tips to be helpful during your travel between Singapore and JB.
Have a wonderful holiday!
Disclaimer: All information is correct as of the time of writing. Any subsequent changes might not be reflected here.
