JB Bus Guide: Singapore to Pontian Kechil & Kukup Village, Johor (柔佛.笨珍)

Pontian Kechil (小笨珍/笨珍市), Pekan Nanas Town (北干那那) and Kukup Fishing Village (龟咯渔村) are in Pontian District of Johor (柔佛.笨珍), to the southwestern tip of West Malaysia. Getting to these laid-back places are easy from Singapore.

Geographically, Kukup Fishing Village is the nearest to Singapore but when travelling on land, one will have to pass through the town of Pekan Nanas and Pontian Kechil, the capital of Pontian District, before reaching the small fishing village due to the presence of Pulai River and surrounding mangrove swamp. In 2023, a bridge was completed over Pulai River and greatly reduced the journey between Gelang Patah and Kukup Village to about 30 minutes, but no public buses are using that route.

Let's see how to get to the destinations in Pontian District using Malaysia's public bus network.

SINGAPORE TO PONTIAN

To get to Pontian Kechil or Kukup Village, take bus services to Pontian Bus Terminal in Pontian Kechil. For Pekan Nanas, a town in Pontian, head towards Pontian as well but alight about one hour into the journey at the small town.

1. Via Woodlands Checkpoint (First Link)

There are two routes to get to Pontian after crossing the border via Woodlands Checkpoint.

Route A: Get to Larkin Sentral via Woodlands Checkpoint. Read: JB Bus Guide: Singapore to Larkin Sentral in Johor, Malaysia

At Larkin Sentral, take myBAS T50 at Platform A to Terminal Pengangkutan Awam Pontian (Pontian Bus Terminal) in Pontian Kechil. Pay the fare onboard the bus.

myBAS T50

Fare: RM6.20

Journey: 1.5 hours

Operating Time: 6am to 10pm daily

Frequency: 30 minutes

Route B: Exit JB CIQ after clearing Malaysia customs and walk to the bus terminal below JB Sentral. Take myBAS services T30 / T31 / T32 / T33 to the bus stop opposite Angsana Mall or Paradigm Mall (easy landmarks to locate), then change to myBAS T50 at the same bus stop towards Pontian. Using this route, you can plan a stop-over to shop & dine at Angsana Mall / Paradigm Mall on your way to Pontian or on the way back.

Be familiar with the schedules of T30 / T31 / T32 / T33 to avoid long waiting time at the bus-stop — but maximum wait should be around 30 minutes if you just missed myBAS T50.

2. Via Tuas Checkpoint (Second Link)

First, take the following Causeway Link bus services in Singapore to cross the border via Tuas Checkpoint to 2nd-Link CIQ in Johor:

• Service CW3/4 from Jurong Town Hall Bus Interchange, Berth B5. The full fare to Pontian is S$5.

• Service CW6 from a bus stop near Boon Lay MRT Station, along Boon Lay Way. Purchase fare to 2nd-Link CIQ, then change to services heading to Gelang Patah Terminal.

• Service CW7 from bus stop opposite Tuas Link MRT Station. This service heads to Gelang Patah Terminal and the fare is $4.50. (Although Tuas Checkpoint is within walking distance from Tuas Link Station, walking to the checkpoint is disallowed.)

Keep the fare receipts (if using cash or credit cards), or use ManjaLink card, for re-boarding of respective bus services throughout the journey. Between Tuas Checkpoint and 2nd-Link CIQ, board any CW3 / CW4S / CW6 / CW7 services to cross the Second Link.

After clearing Malaysia customs at 2nd-Link CIQ, take CW4G / CW7 to Gelang Patah Bus Terminal and change to CW4 / 52T to Pontian Bus Terminal — ask the bus driver if unsure. The fare is RM4 (if not paid in full in Singapore) and takes about 1 hour between Gelang Patah Bus Terminal and Pontian Bus Terminal.

Note that Service CW4 operates only from Monday to Friday, except public holidays and has 2 services per day:

Gelang Patah → Pontian: 9:30am & 8pm

Pontian → Gelang Patah: 5:30am & 3pm

On weekends and public holidays, Service 52T will take over. It has 5 services per day on weekends and public holiday:

Gelang Patah → Pontian: 7:30am, 9:30am, 11:30am, 2pm, 5pm

Pontian → Gelang Patah: 8:30am, 10:30am, 12:30am, 3:30pm, 6:30pm

(Reference: Causeway Link website)

PONTIAN BUS TERMINAL

Pontian Bus Terminal is the main transport hub of Pontian District. After reaching the terminal, you can start to explore Pontian Kechil if it is your destination. 

There are local buses to Benut, a small town to the north of Pontian Kechil, and Kukup Village to the south. These buses have long service interval (see below for more details). Taxis are also available at the terminal.

Unknown to many, there are long-distance express bus services to Kuala Lumpur TBS from Pontian Bus Terminal by 2 transport operators:

• S&S International’s express buses will make one stop at Batu Pahat Express Bus Terminal along the way to Kuala Lumpur TBS.

• Mayang Sari Express will make two stops at the express bus terminals of Batu Pahat and Muar before heading to KL TBS.

The above services provide alternative ways to travel to Batu Pahat (approx. 1.5~2.0 hours) or Muar (approx. 2.5~3.0 hours) from Pontian at leisurely paces.

BETWEEN PONTIAN KECHIL & KUKUP VILLAGE

Kukup Village is about 18Km to the south of Pontian Kechil. From Pontian Bus Terminal, take Kembara City Service 605 — used to be painted yellow but is now in red-blue-white colours of Bas Muafakat Johor — to Kukup Bus Terminal. The service plies the Benut-Pontian-Kukup route — it travels from Benut to Pontian Bus Terminal to Kukup, then from Kukup to Pontian Bus Terminal to Benut and loops 4 times daily.

When going to Kukup, look for the sign "605 Kukup" displayed on the bus's windscreen.

Fare: RM3.00 / pax (cash only)

Journey: 30 minutes

Schedule to Kukup: 7:20am, 11am, 2:30pm & 6pm

The bus schedule for Service 605 from Kukup Bus Terminal back to Pontian Kechil and Benut is at 8am, 12pm, 3pm & 6:30pm. Board at the same bus stop where you dropped off. The fare is also RM3 / pax.

Note 1: As Service 605 is a mini-bus, and ferries passengers from Benut to Pontian then to Kukup, it can get overly crowded at times. Be prepared to use Grab car or taxi in such cases. The fare should be around RM20 per car (excluding surcharge) during off-peak hours.

Note 2: There is another bus service, Bas Muafakat Johor PN003, between Pontian and Kukup too, but is free for Malaysian citizens only.

PONTIAN TO SINGAPORE

Getting back to Larkin Sentral or JB Sentral, to return via Woodlands Checkpoint, is just the reverse but take note of the last-bus timings departing from Pontian Bus Terminal if you are not staying in the town for the night. The last myBAS T50 to Larkin Sentral is at 10pm.

From Larkin Sentral to Singapore, read:

JB Bus Guide: Singapore to Larkin Sentral in Johor, Malaysia

To return via Tuas Checkpoint, take note of the last bus timings too:

• 52T → Gelang Patah @ 6:30pm (weekends & public holidays only)

• CW4 → Gelang Patah → Jurong East @ 3pm (weekdays only)

Service 52T to Gelang Patah Terminal is RM4. If going to Singapore, tell the driver so, the full fare is RM8, but the service will still stop at Gelang Patah Terminal. Use the fare receipt / ManjaLink Card to transfer to other services to 2nd-Link CIQ.

Service CW4 charges a flat full fare of RM8 on boarding but it does not go all the way to Jurong East in Singapore too. The service will also stop at Gelang Patah Terminal. Similarly, use the fare receipt / ManjaLink Card to transfer to other services to 2nd-Link CIQ.

At Gelang Patah Terminal, change to CW4S / CW7 to 2nd-Link CIQ. Then transfer to CW3 / CW4S / CW6 / CW7 to cross the Second Link. After clearing Tuas Checkpoint, take CW3 / CW4S to Jurong East.

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For me, it is easier, cheaper and more flexible to travel to / from Pontian / Pekan Nanas / Kukup Village via Woodlands Checkpoint.

Read: Pontian Do: A Different Getaway to Pontian & Kukup, Johor

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