SBS Transit Bus Service 170X

SBS Transit Bus Service 170X is a cross-border service plying between Kranji MRT and JB Sentral in Johor Bahru, passing through Woodlands Centre, Woodlands CIQ and Sultan Iskandar CIQ.  It is usually referred to as 170 (Blue Plate) or 170* to distinguish it from its parent Service 170.

Technical Information
Route	Woodlands Rd (Kranji MRT Station) ↔ JB Sentral Bus Terminal
Passes Through	Woodlands Ctr, Woodlands Checkpoint, JB CIQ
Route Length	10.9 km (D1) | 11.4 km (D2)
Traveling Time	45 mins (Subjective to Causeway Traffic Conditions)
Operator Information
BCM Route Package	Bukit Merah Bus Package
Current Operator	SBS Transit Ltd
Current Depot	Ulu Pandan Bus Depot (UPDEP)
Current Fleet	12-metre Single Deck Bus: – Scania K230UB
Departure Times from Kranji Stn	0536hrs – 2330hrs (Weekdays) 0540hrs – 0000hrs (Saturdays) 0540hrs – 2330hrs (Sundays / PHs)
Departure Times from JB Sentral	0618hrs – 0000hrs (Weekdays) 0620hrs – 0000hrs (Saturdays, Sundays / PHs)Daily downroutes at Johor Bahru Checkpoint from 0530hrs onwards
Frequency	Direction 1	Direction 2
	0630 – 0830: 02 – 08 mins 0831 – 1659: 05 – 17 mins 1700 – 1900: 06 – 08 mins After 1900: 07 – 16 mins	0630 – 0830: 06 – 10 mins 0831 – 1659: 05- 17 mins 1700 – 1900: 06 – 09 mins After 1900: 06 – 16 mins

Service 170X is a cross-border route connecting Kranji MRT and Woodlands Centre to JB Sentral and Kotaraya II Terminal in Johor Bahru, supplementing Service 170 with cross-border demand. Although the route starts from 45131 Opp Kranji Station, most passengers board at 45139 Kranji Station in practice, where Johor-bound trips start.

Due to varying traffic conditions at the Causeway, travel times and frequencies may increase significantly when jams occur. At each checkpoint, rides will be suspended and passengers have to alight and clear customs before boarding the bus again. Re-boarding may not necessarily on the same bus, but any bus of the same service. As such, passengers may also switch between 170 (Red) and 170 (Blue) at either checkpoint, without counting as a transfer. (Example: A passenger can board 170X at Kranji, take either 170 or 170X across the Causeway, then board 170 to Larkin Terminal)

Some buses are scheduled on both 170 and 170X, performing the Kranji MRT – Sultan Iskandar CIQ as 170X and Sultan Iskandar CIQ – Larkin Ter as 170.

Cross-Border Procedures

At each checkpoint, passengers have to alight and clear customs before boarding the bus again. When crossing the causeway between Woodlands Checkpoint and Johore Bahru Checkpoint in either direction, commuters may board any SBS Transit bus (either 160, 170 or 170X). However, when leaving from a checkpoint, commuters must re-board Service 170X after clearing customs if they wish to continue their journey to JB Sentral Ter and not constitute a transfer.

Tapping out from the bus at a checkpoint will suspend a journey and allow the resumption of a journey afterwards. Cash paying passengers should retain their ticket as proof or payment, and produce it when re-boarding buses at checkpoints.

MRT Stations served:

• NS7 Kranji

Route Variant:

• Service 170: Queen Street Terminal ↔ Larkin Terminal

Special Departures:

• Johor Bahru (Johor Bahru Checkpoint) → Kranji MRT Station
  Weekdays (Mon – Thu): 0525hrs, 0533hrs, 0541hrs, 0549hrs, 0557hrs, 0604hrs, 0611hrs, 0619hrs, 0627hrs
  Weekdays (Fri): 0525hrs, 0540hrs, 0555hrs, 0605hrs, 0615hrs, 0625hrs
  Saturdays: 0530hrs, 0539hrs, 0547hrs, 0555hrs, 0604hrs, 0613hrs, 0622hrs
  Sundays / Public Holidays: 0530hrs, 0539hrs, 0548hrs, 0556hrs, 0605hrs, 0614hrs, 0622hrs

Service 170X starts at around 5:30am from Johor Bahru Checkpoint towards Kranji MRT Station as compared to 6:20am from JB Sentral Bus Terminal.

Fare: Charges regular distance fares. See Bus Fares for exact fares.

Route limitations:

Buses deployed on cross-border routes must be registered with the Suruhanjaya Pengangkutan Awam Darat (SPAD), also known as the Land Public Transport Commission (Malaysia).

Currently, only some Scania K230UBs are SPAD-registered. In accordance with Malaysian regulations, buses must carry relevant documents, be fitted with a third brake light at the rear, and attached with Malaysian stickers dictating the legal speed limit.

Gallery:

Operator History:

• 2000 – 2001: Singapore Bus Services Ltd
• 2001 – Present: SBS Transit Ltd

The Bus Service Operating License (BSOL) for this route will be renewed in 2023 under the Bukit Merah Bus Package.

History:

• 2000 (03 Sep): Parent route Service 170 split into blue plate (Kranji station – Kota Raya II terminal) and red plate (Queen St terminal – Larkin terminal). From then, there will be trips as well from Larkin – Kranji MRT and vice versa from Kranji MRT – Larkin.
• 2001 (Nov): Became fully air-conditioned with the Volvo B10M Mark IIIs
• 2011 (Aug): Retiring Volvo B10M Mark IIIs were replaced with Volvo B10M Mark IVs (DM3500 and Strider)
• 2014 (Apr): Scania K230UBs deployed to replace Volvo B10M Mark IVs
• 2014 (01 Nov): Amended to loop at Jalan Tun Abdul Razak due to the permanent closure of Kotaraya II Terminal
• 2015 (01 Mar): Amended to loop at JB Sentral Terminal, skipping the bus stop along Jln Tun Abdul Razak. Later converted to bidirectional operation with no change in routing (exact date unknown)
• 2017 (21 Aug): Designated wheelchair-accessible bus route (WAB)
• 2018 (18 Nov): Start of operations under Bukit Merah Bus Package (Tendered Contract)

Past Routings:

• Refer to this article
• Amended to present routing in 2014; No significant route changes since 2014.