Taking the city bus in Johor Bahru: A Visitor's Guide

For visitors exploring the city of Johor Bahru (JB), local buses offer an affordable and immersive way to navigate the urban landscape. Unlike interstate or cross-border coaches, these services—operated under schemes like myBAS Johor Bahru and Bas Muafakat Johor—serve neighborhoods, shopping malls, train stations, and residential zones across the city and beyond. With cashless payments and expanding routes, the bus network is slowly evolving to become more visitor-friendly¹.

Bus Color and Livery

Several operators serve JB’s local routes, each with its own livery:

myBAS Johor Bahru: Uses uniform, standard-branded buses—typically modern designs—under the state initiative to revamp service and facilities².
Bas Muafakat Johor: Bright pink buses with white polka dots, similar to those in other Malaysian states, operate on citizen-focused free routes with a “P” prefix².
Causeway Link: Retains its signature yellow livery (“The Smiling Bus”) and operates many routes, including cross-border services and local ones under both myBAS and Bas Muafakat schemes. Some of their local routes might not be in the yellow livery, as they also operate under the myBAS scheme and use the myBAS-branded buses. This is worth noting and avoid a confusion in case you are looking specifically for a yellow bus.³.

Bus Routes in Johor Bahru

Johor Bahru has a wide local bus network:

myBAS Johor Bahru: As of late 2025, there are approximately 18 active routes covering extensive areas—from JB Sentral across to Kota Tinggi, Pontian, Kulai, and other neighborhoods—with over 660 stops. Having said that, I would recommend that you check the official myBAS website for the most current route when you need to use the service.⁴.
Bas Muafakat Johor (P-prefix routes): These cover local loops, such as P101 between Larkin Sentral and JB Sentral, and P106, a popular route for tourists, loops around major shopping areas in east JB, including Johor Jaya and AEON Tebrau City. They offer free rides for Malaysian citizens holding a valid Bas Muafakat Johor travel card. Foreign visitors are required to pay a regular fare, typically paid in cash.⁵.
Additionally, operators like Maju and City Bus (Transit Link JB) run other local routes across JB and adjacent towns⁶.

Fares and How to Pay

Fares are generally distance-based and affordable:

Typical fares range from RM1.00 to RM3.00 depending on distance⁷.
Some Bas Muafakat Johor services are completely free for Malaysian citizens with the appropriate travel card—but not available to non-citizens⁸.

Payment options include cash, though small change is advisable, and various cashless methods—Visa contactless cards, NFC via smartphone/smartwatch, QR code payments, and the local ManjaLink or ManjaPay system. The ManjaLink card and ManjaPay (a QR-code based mobile payment system) are local payment options that can be particularly useful for frequent visitors or those staying for longer periods, as they often offer cheaper fares on certain routes."⁹.

Payment Methods: Cash and Cashless

JB is Malaysia’s first city where local urban buses support full contactless payments:

You can tap your Visa (or similar) contactless bank card, phone, or watch.
The ManjaLink card and ManjaPay (QR code-based) mobile system are local options designed for JB buses¹⁰.

Bus Stops and Terminals

Local buses operate from several key hubs:

Larkin Sentral: JB’s main bus terminal, serving both local and intercity routes, including shuttles to JB Sentral train station¹¹.
JB Sentral: Major interchange with nearby bus stops on Jalan Jim Quee for local routes and convenient access to train services¹².
Numerous bus stops are dispersed across the city, near malls, residential areas, and main roads—detailed route maps are accessible via Moovit or operators’ apps¹³.

What to Expect When Taking the Bus

Riding JB’s local buses is economical but comes with expectations:

Affordable travel: Especially convenient for budget-conscious visitors.
Cashless convenience: Great if you have a contactless card or Manja options.
Limited service frequency: Some users report waits of 30–45 minutes between buses, especially off-peak¹⁴.
User experience: Visitors can experience local life firsthand, though infrastructure (like dedicated lanes or real-time info) can be sparse¹⁵.
Apps helpful: Tools like Moovit are useful to track routes, stops, and arrivals in real time¹³.

Quick Facts

Service Schemes: myBAS Johor Bahru, Bas Muafakat Johor

Livery: Standard myBAS buses; pink Bas Muafakat Johor; yellow Causeway Link

Main Hubs: Larkin Sentral, JB Sentral (local stops)

Routes: ~18 myBAS routes, many local loops (P-prefix), plus others by Maju & City Bus

Fares: RM1–RM3 typical; Bas Muafakat free for citizens with card

Payment: Cash, Visa contactless, NFC devices, ManjaLink card, ManjaPay QR

Stops: Numerous across city; use Moovit or operator apps

Expectations: Affordable access, cashless convenience, but longer waits and basic infrastructure

Taking the city bus in neighbouring cites

References

Page Details

This page was created on 29 August 2025. Hi, my name is Timothy and created it from my research, for my own entertainment, knowledge and to satisfy my curiosity. I am providing the information to you in good faith and hope it is useful. I try to get the details as accurate as possible. I also try to update the page whenever I stumble on new details. So this and all my other pages are perpetual work in progress. If you discover any error, please politely inform me, pointing out where the error lies, and I will correct it as soon as possible. Your helpfulness will keep this page accurate, relevant and helpful to those who need the information.

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