Another long-time player in the bus market in Malaysia, Sri Maju has daily services between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore via Johor Bahru (Larkin) and Woodlands Checkpoint.
The journey starts from Terminal Bersepadu Selatan (TBS) where almost all buses to all destinations from KL depart from. Many screens around the terminal inform you of your bus information just like an airport.
TBS operates with a centralised ticketing system so you can buy any ticket at any counter, removing all touting problems. If you have booked your ticket online such as through 12Go Asia, BusOnlineTicket or Easybook, you need to exchange your A4 printout at these counters.
However, there are special counters near the entrance from the linkbridge from the trains to only exchange your printout for the boarding pass, an express option if the other queues are crowded.
These special counters are marked with a letter rather than a number and are in green.
If the counters in front are crowded, there are actually more counters further behind near the TBS Bazaar. It’s worth to walk the additional 30 seconds to these row of counters should the front counters have people queuing in them as this row is relatively new (formerly used by companies not in the centralised ticketing system) and thus relatively unknown too. This row is also away from the main boarding gates.
Once you’ve got your boarding pass, proceed to the boarding gate 1 floor down. Note the entrances to the gates – there is 1 main departure lobby and 2 smaller ones.
The entrance to my departure lobby for Gate 2.
Scan the QR code on the boarding pass to enter the departure lobby.
Once downstairs, find an available seat (which isn’t hard to do) or shop for last minute expensive drinks and snacks at the push carts around. Toilets are available here too.
Around 5 minutes to 3pm, my bus pulled up to Gate 2 for departure. “Announcements” were made for boarding, albeit manually by the security guard shouting the bus’s destinations.
My 3pm bus back to Singapore, with the driver opening the luggage compartment and another staff for counting off passengers from her list.
I didn’t get a clear interior shot of the bus as I wasn’t the first to board, but I have to say that Sri Maju has one of the largest legroom offered on Singapore – Kuala Lumpur express buses.
This is my feet when sitting in a slightly slouching position – the footrest is almost useless unless you recline your seat and try to lie down.
The bus departed 3 minutes off schedule, which by regular standards it’s considered punctual.
After around 3 hours, we made a rest stop at Yong Peng. Not my favourite rest stop because it isn’t an R&R on the highway and the food here are at Singapore prices.
There’s a minimart at the left side if you wish to do last-minute expensive snack shopping.
Do remember your bus number or at least look out for your destination signs or remember your driver’s or neighbour’s face as both northbound and southbound buses can use this rest stop. Here’s my bus parked beside another Sri Maju bus.
The bus arrived at JB Larkin bus terminal at around 7.30pm to alight some passengers before continuing on to Singapore.
The bus arrived at Woodlands Checkpoint at 8.10pm and thereafter, waiting for slower passengers and consolidating other Sri Maju passengers from other destinations into one bus, continued on to Golden Mile Complex and arrived at 9.20pm.
Sri Maju is one of the cheaper companies on Easybook to travel with between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore although it uses Woodlands Checkpoint instead. Taking Woodlands into account, it may not be my first choice to travel with next time but I won’t rule it out as an option in any case, and is still a recommended company to travel with in my opinion.
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