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I need an international e-ticket out of Malaysia to show to the airline when I board next week with a one-way ticket.

Last year I bought a second class train ticket from KL to Woodlands for about $10.

This time for fun and variety and a new little challenge I'd like to find an even cheaper ticket.

I do not care where in Malaysia I get on, nor where in Singapore I get off!

I know what I'm doing. I enjoy travelling this way. Please do not tell me it's easier to do it another way. I don't care about easy. I'm asking specifically about absolute cheapest.

I'm sure I can board the same train from Johor Baru to Woodlands for less money and I'm sure I can book it online at the same website.

But last year when I crossed the border going north I did so on a bus that was basically just a shuttle since you can't cross the border on foot and seemed to be used mostly by shoppers.

Can I book an e-ticket on this bus online from Australia? Or is there any other cheap service just across the border? Which service is the cheapest that I can buy online from home and get a printed e-ticket for?

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  • FWIW, it sounds like it's possible to hitch the whole way
    – Mark Mayo
    Commented Nov 12, 2014 at 7:31
  • @MarkMayo: It could be though when I hitched from Singapore to Malaysia I ended up taking the bus just over the border. That was probably because Singaporeans don't pick up hitchers though. In any case I need an e-ticket as proof of onward travel to show when I board the plane from Sydney to KL.
    – hippietrail
    Commented Nov 12, 2014 at 7:34
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    Ahh, curse that proof of travel. However, you could get a refundable proof of travel ticket, and then hitch :D
    – Mark Mayo
    Commented Nov 12, 2014 at 7:37
  • Well even the $10 one is cheap enough to not use and not get a refund. But last time I did use it
    – hippietrail
    Commented Nov 12, 2014 at 7:39

2 Answers 2

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Based on my experience of living in Singapore for ~7 years and traveling to Malaysia by every means possible (plane, train, bus, boat, taxi & car), the absolute cheapest pre-bookable option is indeed the KTMB train from Johor Bahru to Woodlands, which will cost you the princely sum of RM 7 (~US$2) in "AEC Economy Class".

Now there's a potential fly in the ointment: the last time I tried this, and it was a long time ago, it wasn't possible to book a Singapore<->JB fare online, you had to book a few stops up the road further. But this shouldn't cost you more than a few ringgit extra.

2022 update: Shuttle Tebrau (SG<->JB) is now bookable online. It's very popular though, so book early! 5 MYR from Malaysia, but 5 SGD from Singapore, because KTMB thinks it's still 1965 and the two are equivalent (back in 2022, it's 3.2 MYR to 1 SGD).

The JB-Singapore buses are indeed marginally cheaper, but this is pure public transport with no reserved seating etc, so neither of the operators (Singapore's SBS Transit and Malaysia's Causeway Link) sells tickets online. And not that you could get a "ticket" for this, but while it used to be free, you can't even walk across the Causeway now that Malaysia shifted to its new ridiculously huge and rather distant Customs building.

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  • 2nd class KTMB train from Johor Bahru to Woodlands, which will cost you the princely sum of RM 7 (~US$2) in "AEC Economy Class" There's the definition of true adventure! :)
    – JoErNanO ♦
    Commented Nov 12, 2014 at 11:38
  • I seem to be having trouble using the KTMB site this time. No matter which pair of stations I choose and which date I choose, the site seems to tell me there is no availability. Am I doing it wrong? Does that warrant a separate question?
    – hippietrail
    Commented Nov 13, 2014 at 0:44
  • That site is a usability nightmare, it shows trains that pass through but don't stop as "no availability". There should be multiple trains per day, just scroll down.
    – lambshaanxy
    Commented Nov 13, 2014 at 1:33
  • @jpatokal: I tried many trains at many times on many dates on three browsers on two computers. Neither any of that nor just scrolling down worked for me. Can you give any examples that actually work for you?
    – hippietrail
    Commented Nov 15, 2014 at 13:18
  • Try eg. Segamat to Woodlands CIQ on Dec 10, trains #13 and #25 Senandung Sutera have plenty of availability.
    – lambshaanxy
    Commented Nov 19, 2014 at 21:46
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I bought a Tigerair ticket KLIA to SG for I think RM29 on a promotion and just threw it away later. Lucky I had it though, because it was asked for. There are many absurd promotional deals on Air Asia and Tigerair, so if you just watch out you'll catch one. Since you have no intention of actually using the ticket you can get a better deal I think, being indifferent to the destination or amenities.

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