JB Larkin Sentral Still Charges RM2 Extra When Booking Direct For Express Buses

Larkin Sentral posted that there is no boarding pass charge for express bus boarding pass printing on their Facebook on 2 January 2024. This was placed in an infographic comparison chart where on the other side, there is the RM2 extra charge for boarding pass printing when booking from “other portals”. This may mislead passengers that booking direct through Larkin Sentral will save you the extra RM2 chargeable for “other portals”. A quick check on their website at https://www.larkinsentral.my/ proves otherwise.

JB Larkin Sentral RM2 Boarding Pass

Johor Bahru Larkin Sentral charges RM2 for boarding pass and facilities since 1 January 2022. The boarding pass is an additional charge on the ticket already purchased. This applies for all express bus tickets.

For all tickets not purchased directly from Larkin Sentral, RM2 is charged extra upon arrival physically at Larkin Sentral before catching your bus. This is in exchange for your compulsory boarding pass. RM1 is for a Facility Charge and another RM1 is for the boarding pass printing (“Handling Fee”).

JB Larkin Sentral RM2 Online Charge

When booking online, while it is technically true that there is no boarding pass printing charge, a replacement RM1 Online Charge is imposed instead.

Booking Direct Online		Booking from Other Portals Online
Handling Fee	RM1	Online Charge	RM1
Facility Charge	RM1	Facility Charge	RM1
Total	RM2	Total	RM2

Even though there is theoretically no printing charge when booking direct, passengers still pay the RM1 for the “convenience” of buying direct instead, which makes the total charges by Larkin Sentral still at RM2. Same same but different. So even though Larkin Sentral claims that there is no boarding pass charge, a separate charge is charged instead. There is no difference in the RM2 extra cost when booking direct from Larkin Sentral or from “other portals”.

This charge is absolutely unfair as passengers must use Larkin Sentral to board express buses anyway. Express buses can’t simply pick up from another pick-up point in JB. Furthermore, not all terminals in Malaysia with the compulsory Centralized Ticketing Service (CTS) system charge passengers to use it, since passengers actually have no choice but to use it. Charging RM2 per passenger for a slip of paper with a QR code which reconciliation system is not even in use is almost a ransom for passengers who are catching an express bus from JB.

The main point here, however, is how Larkin Sentral is conveniently misleading passengers. Those who book blindly will think that Larkin Sentral just charges passengers the normal fare upon online purchase and that’s it, while in reality, Larkin Sentral has conveniently added RM2 on top of the bus fare, making it a combined price to pay, and still posts on Facebook that there is “no” boarding pass charge even when the extra RM2 is charged.

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