Transtar Travel operates numerous classes of coaches out of Singapore to Malaysia and beyond. In November 2016 I decided to take a coach trip from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur so I could see some of the sights along the way.
You can book online with fares being quite cheap, around $20-$30 for the best class from SG to KL. I highly recommend the additional comfort.
The Solitaire service operates a double decker with large reclining chairs with built in TVs, massage functions and more.
I arrived at the Golden Mile Complex in Singapore before the sun come up to check in and get my ticket. This was the most awkward part of the whole trip. You go to the office and the poor lady there is running around crazy on the phone trying to do things. Finally when you get her attention she gets your details and hands you a small slip of paper with the coaches registration on it then says to go to the end of the building. At the other end of the building there aren’t really any helpful people who can tell you where to go or what to do. Normally the coaches park around the side of the building and you just look for the registration you’ve been given. In my case the registration was crossed out and a new one written in. After waiting a while with no coach in sight I spotted one parking on the street outside the complex with the original registration that had been crossed out. I approached the driver and after some thought he decided I was in the right place.
You have the option of putting your luggage under the coach or take it with you to your seat. As the seating is only 1 on either side of the coach there is a large amount of storage room around you.
Once everyone is on board the coach departs and heads to the freeway. You’ll get a little bit of sight seeing in before you leave Singapore with the coach driving past Marina Bay.
Eventually the coach arrives at the Singapore Immigration checkpoint and you have to alight from the bus and go inside to have your passport checked. Thankfully I talked to the driver before hand and he advised I had time to go to the bathroom before getting back on the bus. The whole process took about 10 minutes.
After this the coach goes over the causeway and enters Malaysia. Here you stop again to go through immigration and customs. This time you have to take your bags as well so they can xray them.
From here the bus drives for several hours north towards KL. Around a quarter of the way in the coach steward comes around with drinks and a meal. The food wasn’t at all inviting with just some rice, vegetables and chicken bites that were cold. The bottle of water I was given wasn’t chilled but you could order tea or coffee if you preferred.
Lunch on the Coach
Around halfway the coach stops at a rest stop with some shops and bathrooms so you can get out and stretch, buy some things and use the facilities.
The stop was horribly humid and hot. I think we changed drivers at this point too cause the really friendly driver I’d been talking to beforehand was replaced with someone else.
After being stopped for so long, the air conditioning for the rest of the trip really struggled to cool the coach. It was unpleasant for the remainder of the trip.
Once in KL the coach stops in the middle of a busy street and everyone alights. They don’t give you much detail except that it’s the end of the line.
Not really sure what to do at this point I got off and went in search of a taxi to go to my hotel.
Overall there’s not much to see on the journey. There’s a whole lot of highways, trucks, cars and palm trees. You do get to see lots of buildings and such when you get into the built up areas but for the most part the coach stays on the freeways which don’t go through any towns. It’s also worth noting that there are a lot of toll collection stops along the freeways.
Food Rating 1/10
Pit Stop Rating 3/10
Original Driver Rating 9/10
Comfort Rating 6/10
Pros: Great to see some scenery along the way.
Cons: Food is horrible, no bathroom on coach, most of the seat functions were broken.
You can find more info or book your very own trip at their website over at transtar.travel
You can read more about my trip from Singapore to Malaysia here.
