I remember last Chinese New Year when I had to go back to my hometown and drove from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Bharu. It was a terrible experience. Driving from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Bharu during festive season was super tiring and frustrating. The traffic jam was amazingly cram-full of cars and it took me hours before I reach my hometown. Hence, I have decided to travel from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Bharu by bus this time.
Last week, my friend introduced me to the online ticket booking portal BusOnlineTicket.com. I checked the schedule and ticket price and finally booked Perdana Express bus ticket from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Bharu online at BusOnlineTicket.com.
Summary of my journey from KL to Kota Bharu by bus:
- Going to the pickup point in TBS
- Check in with the printed Booking Confirmation Email
- Perdana Express bus from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Bharu
- Stops at Hentian Bas Ekspres Perdana
- Arrival in Kota Bharu Bus Terminal
Going to the pickup point in TBS
The pickup point for the bus from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Bharu was in Terminal Bersepadu Selatan (TBS). TBS is one of the main bus terminals in Kuala Lumpur and it serves the purpose as a transportation hub. You can reach TBS by LRT, KTM, KLIA Express, Rapid KL bus, taxis and express buses.
I printed the booking confirmation email from BusOnlineTicket.com and went to the bus terminal early by LRT. There were special counters for online ticket booking. You can go to counter A, B or C to check in. Or else, you can also go to ticket counters with label “Bus Boarding Pass” to check in.
Check in with the printed Booking Confirmation Email
I passed my printed Booking Confirmation Email to the ticket counter staff and she verified my booking by stamping the paper. Then, she returned the printed Booking Confirmation Email for me to use it as the boarding pass.
To go to the boarding platform in Gate 2, I had to pass my boarding pass to be stamped again by the guard. After that, I went down to the departure hall by the escalator.
The departure hall in TBS was in Level 2. When I went down to the boarding platform, I found the waiting area to be spacious and commodious with plenty of seats to accommodate the number of passengers. Not long after I waited, the Perdana Express bus arrived to the boarding platform and all passengers queued up to board the bus.
Perdana Express Bus from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Bharu
Perdana Express bus from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Bharu was a beautiful purple colored double-decker bus. The bus driver opened the luggage compartment and helped the passengers load their luggage inside the bus.
After he checked the passengers’ tickets, we board the bus and found our seat. By 9.45AM, all passengers were already on board and the bus departed from TBS.
The Perdana Express bus was relatively clean and spacious. There were three seats per row to provide more space and comfort for all passengers. Air conditioner was available and controllable for all passengers. In addition, there were overhead compartments for smaller bags if we need it. Overall, the bus condition was satisfying for the long journey.
Stops at Hentian Bas Ekspres Perdana
It was around 1.20PM when the bus made a stop halfway through the journey in Hentian Bas Ekspres Perdana. There were restaurants for the passengers to have their lunch and buy drinks. My stomach growled and asking for foods so I went down to grab my lunch.
If you want to buy snacks or bread, you can also stop by the convenience shop (called Kedai Runcit, in Malay) beside the restaurant. Furthermore, there were toilets if you need it and prayer rooms or “surau” are available for the Muslims to perform their prayer.
After a headcount to make sure all passengers are on board again, the bus continued its journey at 2.05PM.
Arrival in Kota Bharu Bus Terminal
After in total around 8 hours of journey, the bus finally arrived at the Kota Bharu Bus Terminal. Fortunately, the road was not as packed as when I drove by my own last Chinese New Year, hence the journey didn’t take as long.
Still, if I were to drive by my own it would be a tiring trip. Travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Bharu by bus was very convenient for me. I will definitely take the Perdana Express bus from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Bharu again the next time I’m going back to Kota Bharu.
