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Why Take the Bus Instead of Flying?
Don’t ask me why I wanted to take the bus. It really isn’t THAT much more expensive to fly. Flights around Southeast Asia can be found for dirt cheap, plus the route from Singapore to KL is less than an hour. Why did I want to sit another seven hours after getting off of a grueling 17 hour flight? I think part of me was done sitting in an airborne tin can. Part of me wanted to see just how cheaply I could get around. And part of me wanted to do the journey the old fashioned way, with a backpack and a view of every bit of territory I was wandering through. Hopping from one place to the next via plane felt like cheating. Plus I had the time, so what was the hurry?
So I did my research, and I memorized this very informative article, which I will try not to plagiarize. After having followed it to the word though, I have some improvements to offer.
Post-Flight Necessities
First things first: the necessities when arriving in Singapore. The airport offers free wifi, so look up whatever things you need to look up, and book whatever hotels need to be booked, because it really isn’t worth buying a Singapore SIM card when you’re about to leave the country in a few hours.
The airport is also a convenient place to exchange some money into Malaysian ringgit. Don’t bother with Singapore dollars, you’ll be able to use a card for pretty much everything in Singapore between the airport and the bus.
Riding the MRT from the Airport to Nicoll Highway
When you are about to exit the airport, before you do so, there will be signs pointing downstairs to the MRT, or some simply say ‘Train.’ Follow those.
Ticket machines are set up where you can purchase tickets by inputting your route. You are heading to the Nicoll Highway stop.
Ride the East-West Line to Paya Lebar. Debark and change to the Circle Line towards Dhoby Ghaut. Debark at Nicoll Highway.
Walking from the MRT Stop to Golden Mile Complex
Exit the MRT and cross the pedestrian walkway. Note that the walkway veers to the right to drop you off on the closer side of the road, or continues straight to drop you off on the farther side of the road. Take the right turn. Walk right on Beach Road, and the Golden Mile Complex is a short distance later on the right.
Finding the Bus Agencies
You will see Golden Mile Tower first, with a large crowd of people sitting on the steps with their luggage, waiting for busses. Behind them, and tucked off to the side a bit, is the first bus company: Transtar. Everything else surrounding it was closed when I arrived, and I worried that maybe I had arrived during a holiday and this was the only bus agency available. Never fear though if Transtar’s times/rates don’t meet your needs; you are actually still a block away from where the rest of the bus companies are.
Walk another block and you will have a plethora of options. The entire block is just counter after counter belonging to different bus companies. My goal was to get on the next bus out of the city, and so I simply walked from counter to counter until I found the soonest departure. You could also shop by price range, or level of luxury.
The link I offered earlier listed a few different companies, which I tried to research ahead of time in order to have a rough idea of time tables. That was completely unnecessary. I arrived to discover that there were numerous companies in addition to the ones listed, and buses were departing for KL nearly every half hour. Shopping in person proved to be much easier than trying to research online in advance.
The one I ended up on was called Starmart, departing in 30 minutes, and the guy I bought the ticket from had a picture card showing where to meet the bus (it was the Golden Mile Tower where I had seen everyone waiting).
Crossing the Border from Singapore to Malaysia
The bus was spacious and comfortable after the middle economy seat on my flight over. I especially appreciated the bus driver, who made loud announcements every time we stopped, so that we were never left guessing what was supposed to happen.
“Passport stamp! You bring passport only!”
So at the first stop, you simply present your passport to leave Singapore, then return to the bus. Tip: check your bus’s license plate number and memorize it, as sometimes there are a lot of busses around. You want to make sure you know which one is yours when you return!
Then you drive another ten minutes or so.
“Passport stamp! You bring all your luggage!”
At the border to cross into Malaysia, it is necessary to bring all of your belongings with you. First you will stand in line to have your passport stamped, and then you will send all of your bags through an X-ray machine. Then everyone returns to the bus.
Rest Stops Vary, But I Found a Malaysian SIM Card at Mine…
I’m sure different busses make different rest stops, if any, but about halfway on mine, we heard another announcement.
“Lunch break! I give you 30 minutes. Please no bring food back to bus. I give you time to eat. No food on bus.”
The rest stop was a large lunch area with numerous vendors and fruit stands and food to suit anyone’s palate. There were multiple restrooms, and sinks out in the open to wash your hands before or after eating. After walking down to another level, I even found a convenience store, where I was able to purchase a Malaysia SIM card (data only) with unlimited data for one month for 37 ringgit (roughly $9 US). Note that you will have to have an unlocked phone if you plan on using foreign SIM cards.
How Long is the Journey?
The journey with all the stops took a little over six hours in total.
Where Does the Bus Drop Off?
Bus drop-offs vary depending on which company you choose. The dude who sold me the bus ticket had told me where the drop-off point was. Whatever he said meant nothing to me, so I had every intention of getting a Grab to my Airbnb once in the city. It was my lucky day though, as it turned out that the second drop-off point (Times Square in Pudu) was a mere ten minute walk from where I was staying.
The first stop we made was TBS (Terminal Bersepadu Selatan), what I gathered was Kuala Lumpur’s main bus terminal. Based on the size, I would make an educated guess that the majority of buses from Singapore at least make a stop there.
If you do need transport to your final destination in the city, the Grab app (similar to Uber or Lyft) is the best option. It allows you to pay by card through the app, or to give cash directly to the driver. Everything I read said not to use taxis, as they tend to use every trick in the books to charge you more than they should. Even the locals recommend staying away from taxis.
Would I Do the Journey by Bus Again?
The journey from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur was extremely easy, even in a sleep-deprived and jet-lagged state of mind. I would definitely do it again given the time to spare.
