Travelling from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Penang?  Consider the Bus

This story is part of our Slow Travel in South East Asia series.

To Fly, or Bus It?

The factors to consider are cost, time and general hassle.  Lets look at each:

• The cost:  A one-way flight on Air Asia can be anything from AUD$40 to $120, another $40 if you want to check a bag.  Add to that a Grab car or train ride to KLIA – another $40 or so, and about $12 in a Grab from Penang airport to Georgetown.  We rode with Aeroline. Your Aeroline bus ticket is around $25 from the centre of KL to Queensway Mall in Penang.  A Grab from there to Georgetown is $8.  Bus is a lot cheaper.
• Time:  Our bus trip took five hours exactly, which I am told is about normal, and included a 15 minute half way stop.  The flight takes less than an hour, but you can write off another two to two and a half hours getting from KL to the airport (60km), checking in and waiting around; then another 30 minutes disembarking, collecting baggage and getting out of the airport at the other end.  So discounting delays by either means, bus only takes an hour and a bit longer.
• General Hassle:  The bus wins easily.  The Aeroline bus leaves from the TRX Metro station in downtown KL.  From the time you get on until you disembark, you are in the hands of a friendly steward, who even delivers you a hot meal and tea/coffee as part of the deal.  It was so easy.  Compare this with the vagaries of airport check-ins, security, crowds, squeezing onto the plane, squeezing off, and luggage retrieval lotto.

So in summary…If cost and a hassle-free experience are your priorities, consider the bus. If you want to save a little time, or have a general aversion to bus travel, then fly. Either way, you will get there.

The Bus Experience

I am going to give a shameless plug to Aeroline here, though there are numerous other bus services.  I have found intercity bus travel in Malaysia to be pretty good generally.  Buses are safe and well-appointed and the freeway network is first-rate.  You have plenty of choice.

However, the Aeroline coach was the best bus I have ever travelled on.  Business-class seats throughout, which recline with plenty of legroom.  Each seat has an individual screen loaded with entertainment options.  There are USB and AC charging points, and the steward provides a blanket and headphones for the entertainment should you want it.  On the downside, wi-fi did not work.  No big deal.

We were on the elevated freeway out of KL pretty much straight away, and there was no grind through traffic.  We did a steady 90-100km/hr aside from a couple of slow-downs for roadworks, and it was nice to watch the world go by.

Have a look at the pictures below and make up your own mind.  But I would use Aeroline again any time.

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