Heading to KL again, I was definitely not going to get the train after what I had experienced, so I went back to my old reliable Starmart Express. This time though, Starmart has new 12.45am departures, so I opted for that as I didn’t want a super early start in KL for this trip.
As this was a late night bus but I didn’t want to spend extra money on a taxi or Grab, I caught the last Circle Line train to Nicoll Highway to show up early for my bus.
Disembarking from the last Circle Line train for Dhoby Ghaut.
No more train services after that train had departed. Just in time to continue on to KL.
The post-midnight Suntec skyline as seen from the overhead bridge across Nicoll Highway.
Heading on to Golden Mile Tower via the overhead bridge.
The walk from Nicoll Highway MRT Station to Golden Mile Tower takes just about 5 minutes.
Heading to the Starmart office to check-in for my bus.
After presenting my Easybook confirmation email on my phone, the staff printed my ticket with all ready details on it. However, it seems that my bus departure timing had changed from 12.45am to 12.46am. Hmm.
My bus would be Bus 70 to change to ALD96.
The steps in front of Golden Mile Tower which is transformed to a Starmart waiting area every night.
And here comes my Bus 70 as shouted by the ground staff. Ooh, looks like this bus is my exact onward bus of ALD96. No bus transfers on this trip. Great.
Boarding my direct bus to KL.
The interior of ALD96 from my seat.
The legroom on board Starmart’s single deck Super VIP buses.
USB charging sockets are available but were not working. Also, the dirt left behind by the previous passengers was not very pleasant.
A foldable cup holder is also installed behind each seat.
The bus departed on time at 12.45am and headed for Tuas Checkpoint. As this was a late night departure, the crowd from the usual midnight departures had cleared and it was smooth sailing at both Tuas and Tanjung Kupang checkpoints. Looks like this 12.45am bus departure is going very well so far.
The empty interior of the bus while everyone was still clearing immigration. Probably because I didn’t have any luggage in the hold while everyone else did, so I could just head to any empty immigration counter first.
My window seat for the night.
The bus departed from Tanjung Kupang at about 1.40am after accounting for all passengers on board this full bus.
During the journey, the bus made two stops – one at Yong Peng Northbound Lay-By for a regular toilet break, and another toilet and fuel break at Petron RSA Seremban.
The bus arrived at Terminal Bersepadu Selatan (TBS) at about 6.15am, which makes this a bus journey time from Singapore to KL at 5 hours and 30 minutes. That’s half the time needed than to catch the train from JB to KL.
Heading up the escalator to the main lobby.
Entering the main lobby.
A great benefit to use TBS in the early morning than any other city stop around Pudu or Bukit Bintang is the ability to use the toilets once you arrive. Following which, I continued my journey on the LRT Sri Petaling Line as it was already open.
Overall, a good overnight journey with Starmart Express as always, though the cleanliness at my seat left to be desired. Starmart mainly runs with 27-seater Super VIP single deck buses, so you’re not at a risk of getting a different experience when there are last-minute bus swaps as even if that happens, the space you get are all the same. On top of that, their fares are also slightly more competitive than the other buses departing from Golden Mile, so it’s great to enjoy good value to travel to KL with Starmart always.
Some possible booking methods for Malaysian domestic and international (to and from Singapore and Thailand) buses are:
- Online from 12Go Asia
- Online from Baolau
- Online from BusOnlineTicket
- Online from CatchThatBus
- Online from Easybook
Hotel Booking
Attractions Booking
- Klook (Get FREE S$5.00/RM15.00 voucher for your first purchase when you sign up here! *subject to exchange rate)
How do I book tickets online?
- Click here for a step-by-step guide for 12Go Asia.
- Click here for a step-by-step guide for Easybook.
