This is a long overdue post, which I am finally putting ”in print”, especially for those who asked about our executive bus experience when I tweeted about it months ago.
We have tried traveling from Singapore to Malaysia by air which was a breeze at 30-minute flight. While in Kuala Lumpur, we were reoriented (I had a first glimpse through KG’s post) by the hotel staff that trailing through the executive buses seems more attractive. Hence, from Malaysia back to Singapore, we jumped in it. We took the 18-seater (3 x 6) Five Stars bus and hardly believed the comfort it offered. It is decent, homey, armed with entertainment (like the in-flight) system, and has more leg room than the economy flights. While I insinuate that it was like being in a plane, you will not see the clouds up close but the refreshing views of Malaysia instead.
(I am not sure if I mentioned in any of my Malaysia travelogues that most of its views and corners are very much like the Philippines’.)
It was by chance that we took the 18-seater bus. Incidentally, it was the immediately available (our number did fit in) bus when we went to the terminal nearest to Bukit Bintang. It turned out to be a favorable coincidence because it is more private. However, if we will get the chance, we will definitely re-live this experience and try the double decker next time and book ahead of time.
The entire duration of our trip from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore was less than five hours, including the washroom breaks and immigration formalities. The nicest thing with this travel option is that there are plenty of bus liners and friendly trip schedules which will allow you to manage your time.
(A motorcyclist in Malaysia.)
Although we had an idea about the length of travel, I beamed when I remembered Mimi’s (of Sleepless in KL) posts on how to know if you’re in Singapore + the peculiar style of Malaysian motorcyclist of wearing his jacket. These amusingly cued me to get ready for the immigration formalities.
(Within a blink and motorcyclist fashion sense, we were alerted that we have set foot in Singapore.)
(The immigration visit was a breeze. Whether it was by coincidence or not, we finished in five minutes!)
The bus stopped by the Immigration Office for a while. All the 18 passengers from our bus lined up (technically there was no queue) at different counters. On the immigration card, instead of indicating your flight number, you will mention the name of bus company instead. Your bus would leave only when the total number of original passengers have already returned to their respective seats. While we were toying with the idea of trying the double decker next time, I think that it is better to be grouped with a more private or carriage with fewer capacity if you want to conclude early from the immigration. Well, unless someone from your group will inadvertently have a problem with his passport and other relevant documents. By the way, your luggage will remain intact in the compartment of the bus and you shall claim it once you reach the bus station in Singapore.
As soon as we were done from the Immigration Office, we were back to our home, errr seats (with feet up and blanket — actually pulled out my malong which I got from Davao ages ago), to enjoy the equally refreshing yet more modern views of Singapore.
(Marina Bay Sands and Singapore Flyer, from afar.)
It was a week before the Youth Olympics then and we chanced on this billboard showcasing the mascots inspired by Merlion, dubbed as Merly and Lyo.
(The Youth Olympics grandstand. It was especially beaming when we visited at night.)
[More information on trip schedules from different bus liners.]
Bus liners: [Aeroline] [First Coach Bus Express] [Five Stars Tours] [Grassland Express] [Konsortium Bus Express] [Luxury Express] [Odyssey Bus] [Plus Liner] [Sri Maju Bus Express] [Transnasional] [Transtar Travel]
witsandnuts 
0 thoughts on “The executive bus”
kayni
I won’t mind traveling in a bus for five hours; the bus looks very comfy. I like the drive-by shots.
LikeLike
docgelo
i wish i can convince my friends to try these buses too. we’ve been seeing it often (and yes, those double deckers too) but plans as of the moment is to try riding a train from penang to KL en route to our trip back home before dec 26.
we’ll visit Sg someday, perhaps next year, i dunno. hehe
LikeLike
kg
riding the bus from Singapore to Malaysia (or vise versa) is quite an experience. maganda talaga ang buses nila. my sisters and brother did the same thing. 🙂
“I am not sure if I mentioned in any of my Malaysia travelogues that most of its views and corners are very much like the Philippines’”– I agree wits. KL did remind me of Manila, perhaps because of the traffic? hehe!
anj and the rest of my family were in Singapore during the youth olypmics. too bad di kayo nag-abot. 🙂
LikeLike
angeli
we took the double-decker aeroline bus from kl to penang. as you said, it was quite comfy. and the whole time, i was thinking: sana ganito rin ang mga bus sa pilipinas. 🙂
LikeLike
witsandnuts
How long was your bus trip from KL to Penang?
LikeLike
Photo Cache
I’d rather go by bus if there is a choice you know rather than fly. I just enjoy the passing scenery.
I remember when we took a day trip to Malacca from S’pore, I think we stopped at 2 different immigrations posts and lined up to be cleared. Then the bus also gave us time to look around and browse 🙂 before heading off to our destination.
I just love the sight of hectares and hectare of oil palm trees, so soothing especially when you’re inside an AC bus 🙂
LikeLike
bursky
sana merong ganyan din klase ng bus! i’d love to take the trip to pagudpud or bicol in that kind of bus where good sleep is actually feasible. lol.
and dito din naman, usually mga tricycle drivers yung naglalagay ng jacket ng pabaligtad… 🙂
LikeLike
Daphne
5 hours lang pala from KL to Singapore. I guess that is feasible given that the bus is nice and comfy. Does the bus have its own bathroom at the back? I tend to answer the call of nature every 30 mins kasi so not sure I can survive a 5 hour bus ride without toilet breaks LOL
LikeLike
witsandnuts
I think that the bus does not have its own washroom/toilet. Hence, it has periodic stops for the washroom breaks.
LikeLike
Pingback: Tweets that mention Executive bus from Malaysia to Singapore | witsandnuts -- Topsy.com
Sol
wow, ganda pala punta singapore. Saan tayo makasakay from KL to singapore? ano ba frequency ng trips? 24/7?
LikeLike
witsandnuts
The link to the schedule of bus trips was indicated on the last section of this post.
LikeLike
Cheapest domain Name
Wow! Ganda ng pix.
LikeLike
tinytots
wow!!! 5hours kl to sg in a very comfy bus.kaya lang another 4-5hrs kl to penang.the buses to/from kl/penang are also nice and comfy.one way costs approx PHP450,kapresyo lang ng taxi from bus terminal to city proper (contract; metered taxi is half the price).
LikeLike
Kate
I tried the bus from SG to Malacca. It was a comfy ride and everything went smoothly… well, except that we had a really grouchy bus driver. Haha! Great post as usual 🙂
LikeLike
sheng
Wow, i read from start to finish, and i rode with you on the bus!
LikeLike
Josiet
I’ve actually read several blog posts about how comfy it is to take a bus from SG to KL (and vice versa). We wanted to try it then but we were hesitant because of EJ. There’s always next time =)
LikeLike
Nomadic Pinoy
That looks way better indeed than the coach class of an airplane.
On a similar vein, I tried the so-called Supercama bus in Argentina on a 16-hour journey from Iguazu to Buenos Aires. Seats turned to flat beds and meals were served onboard.
I could only wish there are buses like these in the Philippines. Even Greyhound in the US sucks!
LikeLike
upto6only
5hrs hmmm ok lang as long na ganyan yung bus – comfortable pa din. Hindi ka naman maiinip kasi maganda yung view
LikeLike
chyng
with that kind of bus, i ownt mind traveling for 24 hours! ang ganda… will try that in case walang sale from SG =)
LikeLike
pinaytraveljunkie
looks so luxurious! must try someday when we do this route again.
LikeLike
ever
abay, para ako nasa executive private plane..:)
ganda ng kuha mo wits on the road.. gusto ko yun!
LikeLike
dyanie
Ganyan din sinakyan namin from KL to SG nung nagpunta kami. We were supposed to ride a train from sg to kl kaso fully booked na. So nag regular bus lang kami pa KL (7hrs) tapos nung pauwi na (kasi sa sg talaga kami nun) eh nag exec bus na kami. Ang saya dba? may food, may lcd screen at may kumot. At, ang konti lang namin sa bus! 🙂
LikeLike
eds
wow! ang sarap naman bumyahe kung ganyan kacomfortable ang bus na sasakyan mo. sana meron din ganyan dito sa pinas para di gaano mahirap umuwi ng probinsya.
LikeLike
Toni
wow! those buses are indeed state of the art – much ,much better than economy flights 😉 thanks for the tip -just on time to keep me dreaming on this cold and dreary day about the sun -shiny tropics
LikeLike
bw
I love that executive bus 🙂 Very nice pictures. Clean city.
LikeLike