Two-hour wait just to board: Causeway commuters vent frustrations online

JOHOR BAHRU: For Causeway commuters, patience is already part of the daily toolkit. But this week, some found their reserves pushed to the limit when queues to board buses stretched to nearly two hours, even before the journey across to Singapore began.

One weary traveller summed it up in a viral post: “After almost two hours, I finally got off the bus queue.” That simple sentence struck a chord with many, who know too well the slow shuffle forward, the endless glances at the time, and the quiet calculation of how much sleep, breakfast, or sanity has been lost along the way.

The comments say it all

The reactions poured in, a mixture of empathy, sarcasm and weary resignation. One blunt remark cut straight to the point: “Aren’t you late for work?” – a question that probably didn’t need asking, since lateness was a foregone conclusion.

Another commuter described the fleeting sense of relief when they finally managed to board: “I was waiting for hours and was happy when I got on. As soon as I arrived at SG customs, a lorry directly controlled the bus lane again.”

And if that wasn’t enough salt on the wound, another traveller captured the despair of false hope in a single line: “I just got on the bus, and now I’m stuck on the bridge because of a lorry.”

It was the kind of detail that stung because it was so familiar — a moment of progress suddenly undone by forces beyond one’s control.

Read related: ‘No bus at all’: Commuters endure long, miserable waits as public transport falls short

Humour as a coping mechanism

Yet, amid the complaints, a certain wry humour threaded through the responses. The comments section became less of a venting ground and more of a communal therapy space. Everyone knew the pain they were experiencing, but laughing about it together somehow made it lighter.

This mix of frustration and camaraderie has become part of the Causeway story; the long waits, the unpredictable snags, and the small victories of finally boarding a bus, only to find yourself stuck once more. To outsiders it may look like chaos; to regulars, it’s simply the rhythm of the commute.

And so, as netizens swapped tales of lorries blocking lanes and hours spent queuing, one truth stood out: the Causeway isn’t just a bridge between two countries. For those who cross it daily, it’s also a test of endurance, patience, and the ability to laugh at one’s own misfortune. It’s as if commuters are on a reality TV show titled Survivor: Causeway Edition.

Read also: ‘Queue-cutters are more violent than the queue’: Commuter’s joke about Causeway jam hits home