Airebus not Airbus to Singapore

An easy way to go down to Singapore from Kuala Lumpur and vice versa is by bus/coach. The travelling time is approximately 5 hours by road which isn’t bad considering that if you fly, there is a lot of waiting time at the airports and not to mention that its a lot cheaper by bus. I won’t say flying isn’t good though. I rather enjoy flying, if only so I can browse the duty free at the airports. You miss this if you take the bus.

For my most recent trip, I went for Airebus, a relatively new coach service to Singapore from Kuala Lumpur. This bus departs from and arrives at the Boulevard Hotel at MidValley Megamall. In Singapore it departs and arrives at the DFS Galleria on Scotts Road. This is a very convenient location in Singapore as it is just a stones throw away from Orchard MRT station, and if you are lucky enough to stay in a hotel on Scotts Road or Orchard Road, then you can just take a short stroll to your hotel. One of the best drop off points I have experienced yet.

The bus is a double decker luxury coach with large comfy seats. I tried to purchase tickets online but their online service doesn’t seem to work. That is not very promising. You can buy the tickets from the Airebus Counter at the lobby of the Boulevard Hotel and get the tickets issued immediately. There are 2 coach categories - Executive and Business. I don’t know what Business gives you, but I took an Executive Coach which costs RM80 one way from KL-SIN and the same coming back. If you just purchase one way coming back from SIN-KUL it will cost you RM112.

The Executive coach has 3 departure times: 7.30am, 1pm, 6.45pm. The times are the same from KL or Singapore. It will come clear later.

Anyway, this is a brief review of the bus service:

Comfort Level: 3.5/5
I found the seats large and they reclined well. However, there was some padding at the head area meant to act like a pillow which I found uncomfortable as it raised my head too high. If you are taking these buses don’t take the front seats. Its right next to the passage way and is rather cramped. Seats No. 6 onwards are much better.

I found that the bus was doing a lot of swaying though, which I was unsure if it was attributable to the uneven roads or to the bus itself. I also did not like that there was no space to put anything overhead and leg space was limited that way. No space for paper bags etc.

Entertainment: 2/5
On the executive coach, you are shown a DVD movie either on the first half of the journey before the rest stop, or after the stop. Depending on where you sit, you might not have a very good view of the LCD monitor at all. On my way down, I was sitting just under the monitor so all I saw was a blank screen. On the way back it was better but the light shining through reflects off the monitor somewhat. The sound is also very low and muted so most of the time I was reading lips or reading the really bad subtitles. It made me think the DVDs were not of the kosher variety.

Food and Drink: 2/5
You are served a light meal on the trip. On my way down in the morning, it was a really sad affair of tasteless scrambled eggs and mushroom with a dried out croissant and 3 weird tasting sausages. Needless to say, I preferred to snack on the bahulu I had so thoughtfully packed. On the way back, it was braised chicken with mushroom in gravy, stirfried vegetables and rice with a fried wonton. It was not too bad, but there was too much gravy and I ended up spilling it down the front of my pants. Not elegant!

They also provide tea or coffee in a styrofoam cup. I suspected the coffee was a Nescafe 3-in-1 or something similar. An insufficiently weak caffeine boost. You also get a bottle of mineral water. Not too bad in the drinks department, but food leaves much to be desired. I’d rather just bring my own.

Convenience: 5/5

I give the convenience of the drop off and pick up points in both cities top ratings, as I found it very convenient. It helped that I was staying on Scotts Road itself which cost a bomb. I might not find it as convenient the next time if I were staying else where.

One thing that rather surprised me was that I found myself  on the same bus both going down and coming back. Then I realised that the same bus that goes down at 7.30am comes back at 1.00pm from Singapore then immediately makes the turnaround trip at 6.45pm from KL. Honestly, I don’t quite know how safe that is or well maintained the buses are. I hope for the sake of the passengers, that it is properly maintained! To be fair, I did not notice the bus speeding as the normal express buses are wont to do. When I looked at the passing scenery outside, I did not see it passing by in a blur, but more of at a decent speed, which left me more assured as to my safety. The journey takes 5 hours which is quite alright as I always fall asleep anyway.

Would I take this bus again?

I don’t think so. I think I’d save the RM60 and try for First Coach. If I can’t get that one, then I might go for this one. It won’t be my first choice however.  Ooh! I’m so picky aren’t I?

Some previous fluff:

• April Fool! Erm… maybe not
• Rolling along…
• Will you fly a budget airline to London?
• T.G.I. Friday Thoughts
• Go watch Stardust!