How to get there.
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| Johor Premium Outlet |
This is a simple short write-up on how to go to Johor Premium
Outlet (JPO) from Singapore and back using public transportation. Of course you can more information from their
official website but the details on getting to the right place to take the
right bus can be confusing at times for 1st timers crossing the
Woodlands Checkpoint (Singapore) to Johor (Malaysia) immigration. I am one of
those that has been more than 10 years before entering into Malaysia via
Woodland to Johor by public transport. Singapore is well linked by MRT (subway,
in-city train) and buses. So the first think to go is to get into any of the
MRT station to begin your journey, and the return part is to get back to the
MRT station to end your journey.
There are 2 buses that go to JPO. JPO1 and JPO2, with JPO1
departingt at the JB Sentral station bus terminal to JPO, while the other
departs from the 2nd link checkpoint ( Tuas, Singapore to 2nd-Link
JB-CIQ). You can find out more information from the bus company website. The
bus company is called “Causeway Link”.
For me, I took the JPO1 bus option as there are shopping
malls at JB Sentral to give another round of shopping and dining after we
return from JPO.
Below is the flow of activities on how to get there and
back; and some blunders too.
From Singapore to JPO
Train the MRT train to Kranji MRT station on the north-south
(red) line.
Exit the train station gate, turn right and walk to the main
road looking for SBS-Transit bus number 170 to Johor. Look at the LED display
on the bus. You may read about other bus operators providing the same service,
but I find that the frequency of the bus 170 is very regular, short waiting
time and seems to be quite popular with the commuters. It is never wrong to
follow the mainstream commuters who are the experts plying between Singapore
and Johor for work.
The bus will make its way to the Woodlands Checkpoint
Immigration complex where you alight to clear immigration. The fare for the bus
will not be charge when you alight as they aware that you are clearing customs
. After clearing customs you follow the crowd and down the staircase to the
buses waiting below. Head straight to the same Bus 170 queue and wait for the
bus. It is okay to miss the original bus that you took, just board any Bus 170
by tapping the same Link card that you use when boarding at Kranji MRT. The bus
will make it final stop at the Johor Immigration Complex (known as CIQ
Building) where you alight and go through the Malaysian Immigration clearance.
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| JPO1 Bus at the Bus Bay at JB Sentral Station |
Once clear customs, again look for the sign board and walk towards JB-Sentral (or City Square Mall). There will be quite a few escalators to take , and bridges to cross before reaching the JB-Sentral complex. City Square is just another a few more steps after the JB-Sentral building. You can see the bus berths below after you leave the CIQ building while on the overhead bridge. Go down the escalator and walk to the end of the rows of bus berthing bay. The berth for the JPO1 is at the end. Please not the bus timings from the official Causeway Link Bus service website. The frequency is limited and missing one schedule may lead you to wait 3 hrs for the next bus. If you miss the bus and can’t afford to waste time waiting for the next one, you can walk to the taxi counter at the other end and book a cab for the trip to JPO. I strongly advice that you go to the taxi counter to pre-paid the trip before taking the cab. This will save any form of bargaining that we may not know if we were conned into paying more than we should. Of course it is not the money but more of the reassurance that they are not some rogue drivers who has other ulterior motives to harm you. Maybe it is just me being more cautious. Last that I know of it was around MYR$48 (well, as you may have guessed, we missed the bus schedule at 9:00am).
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| At one section of the JPO |
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| Shop for getting something for the kids |
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| Early morning is peaceful & quite (shops open at 10am) |
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| JPO before 10am (shops not open yet) |
The bus JPO1 will terminates at the Premium outlet and will
park there until the next schedule for the return trip. This will be the same
place that you will board the bus back to City Square for you to return to
Singapore. If you happen to take a cab to reach JPO and not sure where the bus
stop is, just look for starbucks (or was it coffee bean? Well there is only
one) which is the shop that is nearest to the lobby area where the bus bay is
just a few steps to the left. For the return trip, just take back the same JPO1
bus to return to Johor Bahru’s City
Square Mall. If you want to head towards the 2nd link, you can take
the JPO2 bus that goes to the 2nd Link CIQ (Immigration checkpoint)
and then take a causeway link bus back to Jurong Point Shopping Mall at the
Boon Lay MRT station. Again, the initial
route via JPO1 offers you better convenience and lesser waiting time to get
back to Singapore.
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| Bus ticket from JPO back to JB Sentral |
Happy Shopping…..
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