Malaysia Transportation - brief information about
travel in Malaysia.
Road
Buses are an inexpensive way to travel in Malaysia. Most, if not all
buses in Kuala Lumpur (KL) are air-conditioned but there are still
non-air-conditioned buses in smaller towns around the country. Buses
plying routes within towns and cities typically charge fares
according to the distance covered while interstate buses have fixed
rates.
Taxis in major cities are usually fitted with meters. In KL, the
rate is currently RM2 for the first two kilometers and 10 sen for
every subsequent 200 meters. However, a surcharge of 50% will be
levied between midnight and 6am. Interstate and smaller town taxis
charge a fixed rate and it's best to settle on a price before
getting into the taxi.
Rail
Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) has an impressive railway
network across Malaysia one that travels the breadth and width of
the Peninsula, providing the country with regular passenger
services. These tracks take travelers across the Peninsula to
neighboring countries like Thailand in the north and Singapore in
the south.
There's also the KTM Komuter, a suburban railway service that runs
outside Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya. This fully air-conditioned
service provides visitors with comfortable and speedy inter-city
travel within the country.
If you don't fancy driving within KL, try the efficient, comfortable
and congestion-free STAR and Putra Light Rail Transit (LRT) services
that make getting around KL a breeze. Transits between the KTMB
train, Komuter and LRTs can be done at KL Sentral Malaysia's primary
rail transportation hub.
Furthermore, there is the
KLIA Ekspres a nonstop service from KLIA
to KL Sentral in about 30 minutes!
As for Sabah and Sarawak, there's only one railway connecting Kota
Kinabalu to Tenom on the west coast of Sabah. There are no rail
services in Sarawak.
Air
Malaysia's primary gateway is the state-of-the-art
Kuala Lumpur
International Airport (KLIA). It is located in Sepang, which is
about 50km (less than an hour's drive via highway) south of Kuala
Lumpur.
Visitors can take flights from KLIA to all major cities and towns in
the Peninsula as well as Sabah and Sarawak. Domestic airlines like
Air Asia, Pelangi Air, Berjaya Air and Mofaz Air ply popular holiday
routes such as KL-Pulau Tioman, KL-Pulau Langkawi and so on.
However, the country's very own international carrier is
Malaysia
Airlines (MAS), which flies to over 100 destinations across six
continents.
From KLIA, visitors are able to get to the heart of KL by bus,
limousine taxi, KLIA Ekspres or rent-a-car services available.
Air travel is popular in Sabah and Sarawak because of the states
mountainous and lush terrain. It's quite normal to catch a flight
from Sabah to Sarawak and vice versa, as well as to hire helicopters
to get around within either state.
Next: General
information
