Nadi Putra Service 500 is an express bus service between Putrajaya Sentral and Hab Lebuh Pudu in Kuala Lumpur, travelling via the Maju Expressway. It forms the main backbone of public bus transport between the two cities, and makes for an alternative connection to KLIA via the KLIA Transit train service at Putrajaya. From Putrajaya, the bus makes stops at Mid Valley, KL Sentral and Pasar Seni before terminating at Hab Lebuh Pudu.
This article was originally published on 26 July 2018 on BusTravel Station.
Nadi Putra Service 500 departs from the further berths away from the escalators but near the ticket counter.
To board the bus, you have to purchase a Putra Pay card as cash is no longer accepted. Payment for all Nadi Putra bus services are by Putra Pay only. Queue here at the ticket counter to purchase a Putra Pay card for RM10 which consists of RM5 card cost and RM5 value. If you are planning to take multiple journeys, you can top up your card here first.
Once you have your card, proceed to board the bus.
Nadi Putra Service 500 departs every 30 minutes by the 00th and 30th minute of the hour.
Place the Putra Pay card on the reader and tell the driver where you would like to go. Once he has keyed in your destination, a paper ticket will be printed and given to you, thereafter your Putra Pay card will be returned to you.
The fare from Putrajaya to KL costs RM3.80 by Putra Pay only.
Despite me telling the driver than I’m heading to Mydin (ie. the local way to call Hab Lebuh Pudu – no one calls it that way), my ticket gets keyed in for KL Sentral. Guess it’s the same fare.
However, factoring the card cost, I actually pretty much paid RM10 for this bus ride since the card cost is RM5 and I can’t do anything with RM1.20 in the Putra Pay card in KL.
The interior of the Nadi Putra bus to KL.
The bus departed on time at 11.30am.
Passing by the MRT Sungai Buloh–Serdang–Putrajaya Line viaduct pillars. This would be the ideal replacement for this bus service since it would offer similar fares (I hope), provided that KLIA Transit doesn’t increase the fare for interchanging with this new MRT line like how it’s done for Bandar Tasik Selatan.
Nadi Putra Service 500 makes a small loop around the housing estates around Putrajaya Sentral before hitting the highway.
Turning on to Lebuh Sentosa.
Turning onto the Maju Expressway (MEX).
Queuing up to pay the toll.
Nadi Putra Service 500 takes the Maju Expressway just like other express buses to KLIA and klia2.
If you hit a jam, you know that you’re approaching KL.
The bus made a brief stop at Mid Valley at 12.15pm to drop off one passenger.
The bus made another stop at KL Sentral at 12.20pm outside NU Sentral on the KL Monorail side. Surprisingly, not many passengers alighted here as I had expected.
Pasar Seni was where most passengers alighted. The bus stopped here at 12.25pm. Guess more people were headed here and to Chinatown?
I moved two seats forward where the air-con was colder.
Approaching Hab Lebuh Pudu.
The bus arrived at Hab Lebuh Pudu at 12.30pm, making the bus journey from Putrajaya to this terminal in 1 hour.
Information stickers around the bus on the new cashless system, a bit too late for that now.
The overall interior of the Nadi Putra bus.
From here, it’s within walking distance to Pudu Sentral, Plaza Rakyat LRT Station, Merdeka MRT Station and Masjid Jamek LRT Station.
If you are travelling in the opposite direction from Hab Lebuh Pudu to Putrajaya, get the first Nadi Putra 500 bus in the line.
Nadi Putra Service 500 offers a cheap and reasonably fast way between Putrajaya and KL with most of its route running on expressways, and if you have a little bit of time to spare for your journey, this would be the most affordable way to get between the two cities at just RM3.80. Just remember to get a Putra Pay card.