SINGAPORE - All available vaccinated travel lane (VTL) bus tickets from Singapore to Johor Baru sold by bus operator Causeway Link for January have been snapped up, as Malaysians here rush to secure tickets to go home before Chinese New Year.
The Government's announcement on Wednesday (Dec 22) that bus ticket sales will be suspended till Jan 20 following concerns about the Omicron variant left those who had yet to confirm their travel plans just 10 days to get home before Feb 1, the first day of Chinese New Year.
The scramble for tickets led to Causeway Link, one of two bus operators plying the route, to sell out tickets from Singapore to Malaysia between Jan 21 and Jan 31 within hours.
A Causeway Link spokesman told The Straits Times that there are still tickets from Johor Baru to Singapore available for the same period.
It had begun selling the tickets before the announcement, but inquiries and bookings surged after.
In addition to the suspension of ticket sales for buses until Jan 20, tickets from Jan 21 have also been further limited by the Government, halving the quota for land VTL travel.
The Ministry of Trade and Industry said on Wednesday that this translates to 48 buses each day - 24 each way - down from a total of 100 buses that are now running.
Causeway Link said it had sold some land VTL bus tickets for travel after Jan 21 based on the earlier quota before the announcement and that ticket holders on some days after the period now exceed the new reduced capacity.
ST reported on Wednesday that these will still be honoured.
The second bus operator, Transtar Travel, told ST that it is taking a more phased approach to ticket sales by selling tickets for just one day every day, beginning with tickets for Jan 21 on Wednesday.
The Singapore-Johor Baru route sold out within an hour of sales opening at 8am, a spokesman said, although there are still tickets available for Johor Baru to Singapore.
Mr Koh Ying Jia, a Malaysian who is working in Singapore, said he has not been able to book a ticket back home for Chinese New Year.
He keeps a tab on his Internet browser open for Transtar Travel bus tickets, but they have been really difficult to get.
"I haven't seen my mum since Malaysia locked down last year. She keeps asking me when I can get home and it's very sad because I have no answer," the 24-year-old added.
He is helping out with his family business here in the trading and engineering of forklifts.
"I just hope everything goes well after Jan 20. I'm really missing home these days."
Ms Chin Pei Chen, 23, a Malaysian interior designer who was planning to come to Singapore for her work via the VTL scheme in January, said she is now very confused about her travel arrangements.
"The human resources unit said they will let me know again later this month about quarantine measures."
Singaporean Nai Ze Song, who is working in Johor Baru, said he might pass on returning to Singapore for Chinese New Year if he is unable to get a return ticket back.
The 26-year-old added: "I already bought my ticket back to Singapore but won't use it if I can't come back for work. I'm kind of okay with staying here but will be a bit sad. I mean, work is work."
