15 Hour Bus Ride from Penang Malaysia to Singapore with Grassland Express - FULL VIDEO
This is the video of my bus journey from Penang to Singapore with Grassland Express. I decided to try out the overnight bus because it departs from Penang just after 9pm and gave me the impression that it will arrive just in time for breakfast in Singapore. I booked my ticket through Easybook and paid a fare of RM143, which was higher than usual because I was travelling the day before Hari Raya, a major public holiday. For your information, a ticket costs between RM65 and RM70 outside holiday periods.
My bus was supposed to depart from the Prangin Mall in the centre of Georgetown, but the shop of the bus company was rather difficult to find. I eventually discovered that all bus companies are based in a row a shops next to the McDonald’s, so that is where you should go if you are confused. I checked in with Grassland, got a boarding pass of sorts, and the bus arrived a few minutes later.
I sat on the upper deck of the bus in the front row. The bus was fully packed with fellow Chinese tourists and it was a struggle to get to my seat. I settled down and the bus set off just past 9:15pm and headed south, out of Georgetown.
We stopped at the Sungai Nibong Bus Terminal, which is the main bus station serving the island of Penang, to pick up more passengers, before crossing the Second Penang Bridge, also known as the Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Bridge. There was a toll plaza back on the mainland, followed by the North South Expressway, or the Lebuhraya Utara Selatan.
We stopped at a service station shortly after entering the Expressway, just after 10pm. People got off to stretch their legs, use the restroom and buy drinks and snacks while the driver filled the bus up with petrol. I quickly bought a bottle of mineral water from the shop before rushing back to the bus, because the driver did not tell us how long we would be stopping there for. We ended up staying for 15 minutes. In fact, there will be quite a number of breaks during this long journey, most of them lasting for 15 minutes. The prices in the shop are more than reasonable, with the mineral water costing only RM1.50.
Blankets were given out shortly afterwards. I tried to sleep, but was woken up by the jerking motion of the bus outside Ipoh an hour later. There had been an accident on the road which took out the left lane, so we were stuck in stop start traffic for a short time.
I tried going to sleep again, only to be woken up just before 1am. The bus had stopped at a lay by area for a toilet break. I decided to get off and use the restroom like most passengers. This was an awful time for a toilet break because most people would have been in deep sleep.
We entered Kuala Lumpur just after 2am. The bus went right through the city centre via Jalan Damansara, which was right between the Perdana Botanical Gardens and the KL Sentral Development Area. We left the capital city through the southern end and continued south. This was when things started to go wrong.
The bus kept stopping here and there for 2 hours or so, before getting off the Expressway for a town called Alor Gajah in Malacca. The bus parked somewhere in the town centre and stayed there for another hour before returning to the Expressway. I thought there was a breakdown, but one of the drivers told me they were taking a break.
We stopped at a lay-by kampung at the crack of dawn for a second toilet break, before entering the state of Johor at around 7am. Johor is a huge state, so there was still a long way to go. We stopped at a town called Yong Peng at 7:45am for breakfast. We stayed there for over half an hour, which gave me ample time to enjoy my kaya toast and coffee set.
This bus service enters Singapore through the original Woodlands checkpoint as opposed to the newer Second Link at Tuas. We entered the city of Johor Bahru, dropped off some passengers at the Larkin Bus Terminal, before arriving at the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar, or Sultan Iskandar Building, at 10am to clear Malaysian immigration. I cleared immigration in only a minute before boarding the bus and heading out to the Johor-Singapore Causeway.
It was the morning of Hari Raya, the end of Ramadan. As a result, there was a huge traffic jam on the Causeway. It took us over 11 minutes to get to the other side where the Woodlands Checkpoint is located. There was a long queue at immigration though, I had to wait an hour for my turn. After getting my baggage X-rayed by Customs, I got back on my bus, which headed for the city centre just before noon. Traffic in Singapore was very smooth, and I ended my journey at the Golden Mile Complex at the eastern end of the city centre at 12:23pm. In the end, my journey had taken over 15 hours!
In conclusion, I will not recommend taking the bus from Penang to Singapore unless you are really desperate to save the cost of a night’s stay at the hotel. If you really must travel by bus, please avoid travelling during public holidays so as to save time at immigration.
Пікірлер: 43
0:00 Penang Bus Terminal 2:00 On the bus to Singapore via Kuala Lumpur 2:28 Penang street view 4:27 Penang 2nd Bridge 5:05 Penang 2nd Bridge toll plaza (Batu Kawan bound) 6:07 Enter to North-South Expressway 7:17 Rest at petrol station 9:10 Going back to Highway 9:41 Jawi Toll 11:30 Enter Highway again 11:50 Arriving Ipoh City 13:09 Leaving Ipoh 14:38 Entering Kuala Lumpur 15:10 Jalan Duta Toll Plaza 16:17 Jalan Damansara 17:14 Sungai Besi Toll 18:40 Entering Melaka 19:00 Simpang Empat Toll 20:39 Tampin City 23:20 Enter highway 26:07 Enter Johor state 27:07 Yong Peng bus terminal 30:36 Enter highway again 32:17 Skudai Toll 33:44 Heading to Woodlands Checkpoint 40:10 Welcome to Singapore 43:49 Singapore City
@kylohk
Жыл бұрын
Good effort!
@tyatirachrisanthy838
Жыл бұрын
How many stops do you have? And how many imigration checking you attended in this trip?
@kylohk
Жыл бұрын
@@tyatirachrisanthy838 I cleared immigration twice during this trip (once to leave Malaysia and once to enter Singapore). Please refer to the time stamps above to count how many times the bus has stopped.
just came back from penang on a 14-hour trip. mine skipped the yong peng rest stop, stopped at penang butterworth(supernice's office) to collected bottled water and some breads, it was jam all the way.
The road looks so peaceful and lovely without other traffic
I like the night express bus ride because it's very comfortable
Your journey seem very fun and adventure, I have read all your journey, but hell 15hr that’s a lot …
@reezevlog
2 жыл бұрын
there are buses that goes from Phuket all the way to Singapore..thats even worse…..20+ hours…
Noticed it's a pretty big contrast entering Singapore via air, which is usually via the world-class Changi Airport with it's Jewel & waterfall, vs entering Singapore via coach, where you're likely to end up at Golden Mile Complex/Tower, which are relatively run-down with yellow i.e. heavily oxidised false ceilings & choked toilets, & also known to have relatively more sleaze e.g. KTV outlets, with a raid several weeks ago uncovering illegal & underground nightlife entertainment events held there (they've been banned in SG since end-March 2020 due to CoViD-19 measures)
@kylohk
3 жыл бұрын
Yeah, the ticket said the destination was Beach Rd, so I thought they would drop me off further into the city centre. I also found out the hard way that the Promenade MRT station is actually very far away from the Nicoll Highway station!
@lzh4950
3 жыл бұрын
@@kylohk Well Golden Mile is indeed at 1 end of Beach Road (the other end is in downtown, beside the Civilian War Memorial/Raffles City shopping centre. Promenade is also 1 stop away from Nicoll H'way station, so it's either near or far depending on what transport mode you use to get from one station to another
@romyhamid1888
Жыл бұрын
Not everynody travels first class like you boss. Besides we time is not money like you pAp supporters
有趣
Grassland is always like that one, the bus speed is less than 100km/h
Malaysia 🇲🇾
Did the bus company provided each passenger with a blindfold?
@kylohk
2 жыл бұрын
No, they haven't, come to think of it.
how do you get your passport chop in singapore and is it because you walk down outside the bus to meet the immigration officers or the immigration officers coming inside the bus
@kylohk
Жыл бұрын
I had to get off the bus and queue for a long time inside the immigration building to get my passport checked and stamped.
@b0zo944
Жыл бұрын
@@kylohk thank you for answering my first question and my last question is did they the immigration officers asked you any white card or white form to be submitted to them with your passport
@kylohk
Жыл бұрын
@@b0zo944 Yes, I remembered filling in an arrival card. There was a place to get those cards and fill them in on the spot inside the immigration building.
@b0zo944
Жыл бұрын
@@kylohk thank you for answering all my questions and i support hong kong democracy movement
Actually back in the day before covid, cheapest flight to Singapore from Penang can cost as little as what you paid for this bus
@kylohk
3 жыл бұрын
Even on Hari Raya? Not that I will want to take the bus again for this trip in the future.
@CameronKang91
3 жыл бұрын
@@kylohk well if you booked early, yea. But since bus fare are not dynamic like airline, even during non-peak like normal days the price stay the same
if video can comes with the west malaysia map and the bus locations will be good, tks
@kylohk
Жыл бұрын
Point taken, not that I would want to take a bus again for this trip!
Hi sir, can i have your contact. I will enter SG next week. Want to asked u something
Take Transtar next time boss
@kylohk
Жыл бұрын
Haha, or just fly!
@romyhamid1888
Жыл бұрын
@@kylohk same timing bro. Cost so much higher, not everybody rich like you bro
@kylohk
Жыл бұрын
@@romyhamid1888 Hmm... You may have a point. A budget airline ticket might be too expensive for certain people...
@romyhamid1888
Жыл бұрын
@@kylohk and the timing and inconvenience bro….u not only pay the airticket, also transport from kL airport to KL itself. Its not a city airport like SG or HK
@kylohk
Жыл бұрын
@@romyhamid1888 To be fair, the bus is definitely competitive if I am setting off from KL. KLIA is an hour's drive away from the city centre. What I really would like to see is for the KTM ETS to be finally extended to JB, so that I can take the train again.
Lousy and lack of sight views and poor description.
Bull shit. Have taken the bus many times and never complain. But maybe I'm younger and more open. 😆
@kylohk
2 жыл бұрын
Just out of curiosity, what type of traveller are you? Probably more like a backpacker than a luxury traveller?
有冇廣東話
@phuaweijiejieweiphua9820
3 жыл бұрын
Hello Victor Hui And Can You Bring Me Take Grassland Express Go To Genting Highlands Now
Good luck complaining to grassland hahahahaha