Public transport in Kuala Lumpur

Public transport payment cards

If you plan to travel a lot within the city of Kuala Lumpur you could make use of a credit card-sized prepaid electronic-cash card (smartcard). Using this electronic payment system is convenient, because you don’t need to buy tickets anymore for every single journey, it is a perfect alternative for cash, and it will get you a discount on travelling compared with buying single journey tickets.

When you use the card reader at the check-in and check-out it will deduct the right amount from the value that is stored on the card. So make sure that you always have sufficient value stored on your card. There are two types of prepaid electronic-cash cards that you could pay with in almost all public transportation modes in Kuala Lumpur.

Touch ‘n go (TnG) card
The Touch ‘n go card is available since 1997 and is probably the most used prepaid electronic-cash card for public transport in Kuala Lumpur. The card can be used for payment in public transport like the LRT, the KL monorail, the KTM and busses. An advantage of this card is that it can be used for more things than public transport. It can also be used for highway toll, parking services, theme parks, movie theaters and even for getting a drink or snack at several places. The card can be bought at almost all train stations in Kuala Lumpur and additional value can also be added at other places like TnG spots, petrol kiosks, convenience stores, ATMs, pharmacies and some convenience stores.

Using the Touch ‘n Go card is just as easy as its name says. You touch the card on the card reader and when you hear a beep, the transaction has succeeded. In the case you used the card for public transport the gate will open and you can go on with your journey. Important is that you don’t forget to check-out when you exit the station.

MyRapid card
The MyRapid card can be used only for payments on the RapidKL transportation methods like the RapidKL LRT, Monorail, BRT, Bus services and the Park & Ride facilities. The payment from your card takes place when you exit the gate at the end of your journey. When you do not travel out of Kuala Lumpur this card is almost just as convenient as the Touch ‘n Go card as most of the lines except for the KTM are from the RapidKL company. This card can be bought at all RapidKL LRT Station counters and value can be added at all ticket vending machines of RapidKL.

Planning your journey

When you stay in the city center of Kuala Lumpur many attractions are within walking distance if you don’t mind taking a stroll. But some attractions are further away and in these cases you might want to make use of the public transport system in Kuala Lumpur. It is important to understand that there are several companies and travel methods which you can use to travel within the city.

The most convenient way of traveling is to make use of the Klang Valley Integrated Transit System. It consists of several rail lines, like the light rapid transit lines, commuter rail lines, a monorail line, an airport rail link to KLIA and a bus rapid transit line.

At the website of KLRapid you can use their rail journey planner, where you can plan your travels with their rail lines, bus line and stations.

It is easy to find your way at the stations as most signs at the stations are in the English language as well as the Bahasa Malaysia. When you’re in doubt how the stations are connected and where you should transfer to a different line, then the station of KL Sentral is usually your safest bet. KL Sentral is the main transportation hub of Kuala Lumpur where all the lines, except for the Ampang Line, have a stop.

Taking the bus to and within Kuala Lumpur

The main bus stations of Kuala Lumpur are Pedu Sentral (Peduraya), which is located between Chinatown and Bukit Bintang, and Terminal Bersepadu Selatan (TBS), which is located about 10 km (6,4 mi) south of KL city centre. From here many busses depart to their destinations within or outside of Kuala Lumpur.

The largest bus company is RapidKL Bus. Besides cash they also accept the MyRapid card. Their buses have a stop at almost all rail stations in addition to locations where the rail lines don’t go. Other large bus companies are Metrobus and Cityliner.

We from Meet The Cities recommend travellers with a small budget to have a look at the GoKL busses. GoKL is a public bus service that offers free bus rides for the time being, on four lines to more than sixty bus stops. You can find their bus stops at most notable shopping malls and tourist attractions like the Pavilion, KLCC, the KL Tower, Independence Square and more. The busses are modern, have WiFi and you don’t have to book them in advance. You can just stand at one of their bus stops and they regularly come by. You can recognize these free busses by their purple color.

If you prefer an easy and comfortable overview of the main sights in Kuala Lumpur then the Hop-on Hop-off bus is advised. You will be driven to the main tourist attractions of Kuala Lumpur without having to do all the planning and research yourself. At every stop are one or more attractions and you can get on or off the bus. Tickets could be bought in advance online or from one of their employees at most of their stops.

Taking the taxi to and within Kuala Lumpur

The taxi, or teksi in Malay, is in most cases the most convenient way to travel because it brings you directly to your final destination. They are available all over the city, but can mainly be found at the airports, stations, shopping malls and tourist attractions.

Although taxis are quite cheap in Kuala Lumpur they are more costly than the bus and rail transportation methods and you also need to take care that you don’t pay too much. This could happen if:
1. you don’t have a fixed price coupon for the taxi when you take a cab from the airport, KL Sentral, or Menara KL (KL Tower).
2. the taxi driver doesn’t turn on the meter. If on the teksi sign on the roof stands the text ‘bermeter’ it is a metered taxi. But sometimes when it is very busy at a certain spot it could be possible that there aren’t enough taxis at that moment. In that case there are many taxi drivers that refuse to put on the meter and then it is up to you if you want to negotiate a (too high) price or leave that cab.
3. the taxi driver puts on the meter, but takes a longer route than necessary. When you are at your hotel, you could take a map and discuss with a hotel employee what the prices should be for your planned taxi rides. In this way you will get a feeling for which prices are considered normal in Kuala Lumpur.

The budget cabs are red and white colored while the executive cabs are blue and white colored. The budget cabs tend to be cheaper, while the executive cabs tend to be more luxurious cars.

Be aware that from midnight till 06:00 AM there is a surcharge of about 50% on the regular taxi fare. And when the taxi makes use of a toll road on an expressway this will be charged on top of the fare price when you reached your destination.

If you want to call a taxi yourself, then you could consider these companies which are the most popular:
Public Cab Sdn. Bhd., telephone +60 3-6559 2929
Sunlight Radio Taxi Service, telephone +60 3-9057 5757

Kuala Lumpur Monorail

The KL Monorail Line goes through the city center and connects the transportation hub KL Sentral with station Titiwangsa in Bukit Bintang, which is the shopping and entertainment district of Kuala Lumpur. This shopping area is also called the Golden Triangle.

Depending on the time the monorail trains depart every 5 to 15 minutes from the stations. The monorail stations are elevated structures and are often situated above the roads. Ticketing facilities are on the ground or first floor. Both the Touch ‘n Go and MyRapid stored value cards can be used at the monorail.

Below are some stations listed with the attraction or shopping mall that is nearby:
Station Air Asia / Bukit Bintang – attraction Pavilion mall
Station Bukit Nanas – attractions KL Tower and Petronas Twin Towers
Station Imbi – attraction Berjaya Times Square shopping mall
Station KL Sentral – attraction Nu sentral shopping mall
Station Maharajalela – attraction Petaling street (Flea market)
Station Tun Sambanthan – attraction Brickfields (Little India) and its temples

LRT lines (Light Rail Transit lines)

A great way to reach most destinations in Kaula Lumpur is by using the Light Rail Transit lines, or in short the LRT lines. Making use of the LRT lines is a very popular method of travelling within Kuala Lumpur. The trains are air conditioned, modern and clean. The lines are very extended and have many stations so that almost all important shopping malls and attractions can be reached with one of the LRT lines. At each station is a ticket machine, or counter where you can buy your tickets. It is also possible to pay with one of the public transport stored value cards Touch ‘n Go or MyRapid card.

There are four Light Rail Transit lines. These are the LRT Ampang Line, the LRT Sri Petalang Line, the LRT Kelana Jaya Line and the LRT Bandar Utama – Klang Line. Together with the KTM line (and the planned MRT line) the LRT lines go to most of the suburbs in Kuala Lumpur. There is a map at each station that explains where you are and which direction the trains go to.

During weekdays it can be very busy between 7:00-9:00 and 17:00-19:00 as people travel between their work in central Kuala Lumpur and their homes in the suburbs of Kuala Lumpur. The operating times of the transit lines are from 6:00 to about midnight. Every 15 minutes or less a train departs from the station, so you will never have to wait very long.

Some important stations and their nearby attractions or malls are listed below:
Station Air Asia / Bukit Bintang – attraction Pavilion mall
Station KLCC – attraction Petronas Twin Towers
Station KL Sentral – attraction Nu sentral shopping mall
Station Masjid Jamek – attraction Dataran Merdeka (Independence Square)
Station Pasar Seni – attraction Petaling street (Flea market)

KTM Komuter lines

The KTM (Keretapi Tanah Melayu) Komuter is a commuter rail service brand with air-conditioned trains. In 2015 it transported about 54 million passengers. There are two KTM lines in Kuala Lumpur, which are the KTM Seremban line and the KTM Port Klang Line, and there are over fifty connected stations in total. For people with a rental car there are park & ride facilities available at the stations.

KTM Komuter services shopping malls like the Mid Valley Megamall / The Gardens Mall and several attractions. The KTM Komuter lines do not go to the airports, but it is possible travel to the KL Sentral station and transfer there to other trains, like the KLIA Ekspres, which do go to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The tickets can be bought at the vending machines and counters at the railway stations. Do note the MyRapid card can’t be used for travelling with the KTM, but the Touch ‘n Go card can.

Listed below are some popular destinations of the KTM Komuter combined with a nearby attraction or shopping mall:
Station Batu Caves – attraction Batu Caves
Station KL Sentral – attraction Nu Sentral Shopping Mall
Station Kuala Lumpur – attraction KL Bird Park and the National Mosque of Malaysia
Station Mid Valley – attraction Mid Valley Megamall

MRT lines (planned for 2017)

The Mass Rapid Transport lines, also known as the MRT lines, are transit lines that are planned to be operational in early 2017. These will be driverless trains with a capacity of about 1200 persons per trainset. There are three lines planned of which the first, the Sungai Buloh-Kajang Line, is currently under construction. As its name reveals it will run from Sungai Buloh in the northwest through the city center of Kuala Lumpur to Kajang in the southeast. This line is much needed as it is estimated it will serve an impressive 1,2 million people.

KLIA Ekspres and KLIA Transit

KLIA Ekspres and KLIA Transit are rail services that ride from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) to KL Sentral transportation hub. The services share the same rail track, but the difference between the two rail services is that the KLIA Ekspres serves only three stations (which are KL Sentral, KLIA1 and KLIA2), while KLIA Transit also stops at the three stations in between.

The KLIA Ekspres is a very modern and comfortable train with free WiFi and is mostly used by travellers between KLIA and Kuala Lumpur city center. The KLIA Transit on the other hand is more used by locals to travel between their work in Kuala Lumpur and their homes in the metropolitan area of Kuala Lumpur. This makes KLIA Ekspres faster to reach it’s final destination and it only takes about 30 minutes to travel between KL Sentral and KLIA.

These trains depart approximately every 15-20 minutes from KLIA, so that you don’t have to wait for a long time to catch a train. Tickets can be bought at the automated ticketing machines or counters. Since June 2015 it isn’t possible anymore to use the Touch ‘n Go for these trains at KL Sentral. When tickets are bought in advance at the KLIA Ekspres website a discount will be received on the fare price, and if you pay with Mastercard an additional discount will be received.