Crossing the border from Singapore to Malaysia is a straightforward journey. It’s often just a short 1-3 hours journey by land, depending where you want to go in Malaysia. This convenience opens up a plethora of easy weekend destinations you can take from Singapore, such as Legoland, Desaru Coast, Rawa Island, etc.
It’s even easier because there are plenty Malaysian private transportation service that will pick you up from your door step in Singapore and transfer you to wherever you need to go in Malaysia. Usually, this costs a pretty penny at around SG$200-400 round trip, but it’s a price most customers are willing to pay for the convenience especially if you’re a family with young kids.
Well, if you’ve been paying attention to the news, you may have heard that this door-to-door private transportation service is apparently… illegal. In early August 2025, the LTA (Land Transport Authority, a government body that manages Singapore’s roads) cracked down on such transportations in Singapore. The drivers were caught in Singapore, fined and the cars were impounded.
Yes, this is news to me too. Honest to God, I had NO idea that this was not a legal way to cross over to Malaysia.
But, just as luck have it – guess who booked a trip to Legoland with four young kids a few months ago? That’s right… yours truly. I had been using the door-to-door car service for as long as I can remember (since I first moved to Singapore nearly two decades ago) and I was going to rely on them again this time. I did not know other convenient ways to cross over to Malaysia. Yes, I have taken the public bus to JB, but I definitely did not want to take that route with young kids since we would be bringing car seats and strollers.
So, I had to do some research while keeping convenience in mind. I thought some of you may benefit from this information. Here are a few ways to legally cross over to Malaysia:
- Rental Car
- Official Licensed Taxi
- Shared Coach Buses
- Public Transportation
And as usual, let’s dive into the details!
1. Rental Car
Some rental car companies in Singapore allows you to drive the rental car to Malaysia for an extra surcharge. Starting 1 July 2025, foreign-registered vehicles are required to get Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) in order to enter Malaysia, including rental cars.
This option is (obviously) limited to those who can drive and have an official driver’s license. If you’re a tourist, you may need to get an International license too, on top of your regular driver’s license.
Renting a car could be a convenient way in terms of border-crossing because when you get to the check point, your immigration process can be done from inside the car. You won’t need to step out of the car at all.
With a car, you can also go through both checkpoints: Tuas Link or Woodlands Checkpoint, which gives you more option in case there is a traffic jam.
2. Official Licensed Taxi
I did not know about this, but yes, there ARE officially licensed taxis that can go between Singapore and Malaysia. However, they don’t operate like regular taxi. And it is a little complicated so bear with me while I explain the rules to you.
Basically, there are two types of licensed taxi for cross-border trip between Singapore and Malaysia: A Singapore-licensed taxi (which I will refer to as SG taxi), and a Malaysia-licensed taxi (which I will refer to as MY taxi). What’s the difference between the two? The difference lies in their licensing, which affects where the taxis can drop off / pick up passengers once they are outside of their country of license.
Taking the SG taxi
An SG taxi can only drop you off at one designated point in Malaysia – the Larkin Street Terminal in JB. However, the benefit of an SG taxi is that they can pick you up from anywhere in SG, including your doorstep – you just need to book ahead of time. It costs S$90 one way.
Taking the MY taxi
On the other hand, an MY taxi can only pick you up from one designated point in Singapore, which is the Ban San Street terminal near Bugis MRT. However, once you’ve crossed over to Malaysia, this taxi can drop you off anywhere in Malaysia. I heard it costs S$60 for this taxi, but if you’re going to Legoland or Desaru or Mersing, you might need to bargain the rate since the official rate is only for going to Johor Bahru city.
So, when going to Malaysia, you’ll want to look for an MY taxi at Ban San street in Singapore. When coming back from Malaysia, look for an SG taxi at Larkin Street terminal in JB.
3. Shared Coach Buses
The Singapore <> Malaysia border is one of the busiest borders in the world. There are millions of people going in and out of both countries every single day. No matter where you want to go in Malaysia, there will be shared coach options that you can take from Singapore.
Shared coach is popular because it is a pretty a cost-effective way, but it is certainly not the most flexible way. Your departure and arrival time would be dictated by the coach schedule. I also think it is a convenient way only if you’re traveling by yourself, but it’s probably not the best with young kids. You have to get off the bus twice – once in the Singapore side, then again on the Malaysia side. In Singapore side, you get your passport processed for exiting Singapore. In Malaysia side, your passport is processed for entry, and you also need to get your luggage off the bus and get them scanned.
I’ve taken this option when I went to Malacca and Kuala Lumpur, and I found it pretty convenient since I was traveling by myself with very limited luggages.
4. Public Transportation
Yes, it is possible to cross-border to Malaysia via public transportation. It is probably not the most convenient way. You can only go through Woodlands Checkpoint, which means you have to:
- Take a dedicated bus from Singapore
- Process your immigration exit from Singapore
- Take a bus to the Malaysian immigration point
- Process your immigration entry to Malaysia
- Get a taxi or Grab car once you get through immigration
How to use public transportation to go to Malaysia: I’ve written about this option in detail over at my “How to Go to Johor Bahru by Bus from Singapore” post.
For us, I think we will go with the official taxi option to simplify things for the kids. I will keep you updated once we take the trip next week.
And there you have it – these are the official, legal ways to cross over to Johor Bahru / Malaysia from Singapore that I could find. Please leave a comment below if you have any!