I'm a big fan of road trip!
Honestly, if I had so much time to travel, I'd choose road trip over flights anytime. I mean, I always get amazed with the scenery I see during my road trip while I can only see clouds on the flight when I open the window blind. Not to mention that road trip packing list could be less hassle than any flights.
So when I decided to visit Malaysia and Singapore recently, I didn't hesitate to ensure my brother that we were gonna have a road trip from Malaysia to Singapore by bus as it's the easiest and cheapest way to travel back and forth.
For my trip this time, I didn't even try to check any information on the internet because I believe things would be easier nowadays. The last time I had a road trip in Malaysia, it was in 2013, then my sister and I managed to have a nice trip so I suppose with easier technology and so many startups here and there, the road trip this time would be even a whole lot easier and I was right!
The first day in KL, I told my brother that it would be better for us to book a bus ticket for the next day so we could arrange what time we should leave to TBS (Terminal Bersepadu Selatan, bus station in Kuala Lumpur). What I did was just googling the bus ticket from Kuala Lumpur to Melaka and the next thing I knew, I booked the ticket through easybook.com!
It was an easy process with affordable price, so I decided to make a review about the platform to recommend for those of you interested in having a road trip somewhere in South East Asia.
Yes! Although easybook.com was founded as a one-stop platform to sell the bus ticket in Malaysia and Singapore, they have grown rapidly in South East Asia that now they offer their service in most of ASEAN countries outside Malaysia and Singapore.
To name the other countries, easybook.com also operates their service for online bus, train, ferry, car and tour in Indonesia, Thailand, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Myanmar and Cambodia. So, if you think about traveling in those countries, bare in mind that you can always use the platform to complete your itinerary! π
So, how's my experience on booking through easybook.com? Is it really as easy as its name?
I used easybook.com for 3 routes that I've had on my last trip: Kuala Lumpur-Melaka, Melaka-Johor Bahru (JB) and JB-Singapore. All with different services so that I could compare which one is more convenient based on my experience.
My boarding pass for the bus from Kuala Lumpur to Melaka.Kuala Lumpur-Melaka, with Mayang Sari Bus (32 Seats)
I have opted Mayang Sari service for Kuala Lumpur-Melaka, whereby they used their 32-seat bus for this route. With 32-seat bus, I consider this bus is the most convenient ones compared to the other service that I have chosen during this trip, although price-wise, it was more expensive than the rest as well.
For this route with Mayang Sari service, the total amount we have paid through easybook.com is MYR 29 for 2 pax, including insurance.
Once we arrived in TBS, we went straight to the green counter to check in and get the boarding pass. The boarding room is opened 30 minutes before the ETD, but even if you have to wait, there are a lot of kiosk and eateries at TBS that you should not worry about getting bored or hungry.
It wasn't my first time to visit TBS yet I'm still amazed on how good it is as a bus terminal. As my brother said, when it comes to this, Indonesia totally can't relate! πI apologize that I forgot to take a picture inside the bus. π
But anyway, on the 32-seat bus, they have this 2-1 seat formation. 2 seat on the right hand side and 1 on the left. It will be convenient for you solo travelers who are not into socializing with some random stranger. π
However, as I was traveling with my brother, we chose the seat next to each other on the right hand side. But still, it was as convenient since the seat is spacious and it works just fine for those of you with long legs. π
The last stop for this service is Melaka Sentral. While I took the bus at 5PM, I arrived at around 6.30PM.
Melaka-Johor Bahru (Larkin Bus Terminal)
From Melaka to Johor Bahru, this time we used Delima service with 40-seat bus whereby they have 2 seats on every side and although it was still okay, but less spacious than Mayang Sari.
I think the only thing that I could remember of this service is the fact that the driver might be a hardcore gooner like I am that I could see Arsenal sticker here and there while around driver's area, there was some Arsenal flag as well.For this route, we have paid MYR 47.74 (including insurance) for 2 pax.
We took the bus at 3PM from Melaka Sentral, and arrived to Larkin Terminal at around 7PM.
JB Customs β Changi Airport
For JB-Singapore route, we used Transtar Cross Border and honestly, among all services that I have booked through easybook.com, this one was the most complicated one!
Since I already got the e-ticket from easybook.com, I thought that the procedure was more or less the same like Mayang Sari and Delima whereby I had to go to the counter to get the boarding pass. Apparently, it wasn't anywhere close to it because if anything, I think for this route, it was all over the place!
The first thing to do, we had to go to the bus pool in JB Customs and pass the immigration. After immigration, there was no exact direction on where to go except if you got proactive and asked people around. Even then, sometimes people weren't that helpful.
But anyway, I found the platform for this Transtar Cross Border in the end as we arrived really early from the schedule 10.15AM that we took. We arrived at around 8AM and we were confused until this middle-aged man approached us and asked what bus that we were taking. When he checked our e-ticket, apparently he was the staff of Transtar Cross Border. No uniform that identified him as one whatsoever.
Well, anyway this man told us that we should take the first bus to Woodland and then continue our trip with another bus with number TS1 after we pass Singapore immigration there. So I had to double check with the bus schedule since there was no boarding pass or anything to prove that I was on the right track.
But we followed his instruction anyway, and got a bit confused in Woodland when people started getting off the bus to the point we had to ask the driver whether we should stop too.
Apparently yes, they had to get off to pass the immigration so off we went to immigration, and my brother got random checked by Singapore immigration for like an hour to the point I got worried since by the time we reached Woodland, all of my mobile data services were disconnected. Both Indonesian and Malaysian.
So we decided to take the bus from JB Customs to Changi Airport since I already know where to go from Changi Airport to the hotel. I know it got further than it had to be since I just found out that there was MRT station around Woodland as well, but I wasn't even sorry for my decision.
It was more convenient because when I reached Changi, I could get wifi for a bit and inform my Mom that we arrived safely in Singapore while at the same time tell my friend that I wouldn't be able to make it for lunchtime since my brother got random checked. :/
The total amount of money that we have paid for JB Customs-Changi Airport route was MYR 42.60 including insurance and don't expect too much about the bus because the bus used for this route was pretty much the bus you take for regular commuting. Hmm.
And for this, we need to show our e-ticket to the driver as they would take a note on your order and ticket ID. And the bus schedule didn't really matter since in the end, we took the 11.30AM bus and the ticket was still valid.
Sample of my order summary for my booking from JB Customs to Singapore.So, how's my experience with easybook.com?
(+)
- It was really an easy book! I normally didn't like the idea of booking anything through mobile, but all bookings through easybook.com, I did it through mobile and it was all great and convenient.
- The platform is user-friendly.
- Credit card acceptable. I used my VISA card for all transactions.
- In general, this platform was really helpful and the price was also affordable! π
- You can actually choose any option you prefer for each route, whether you want the more convenient one or the cheapest price possible. It was all your decision!
- You can assign seat on your own, except for Transtar Cross Border. So whether you want to sit in the front or in the aft row, it's up to you!
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- The only difficulty that I got was the one with Transtar Cross Border, since it was rather confusing for a first timer like me. But the rest was just fine! π
In general, I would totally recommend easybook.com for any travelers out there who are keen to use bus service throughout Malaysia and Singapore, or in any other area in South East Asia.
Easybook is not only easy, but also practical and pocket-friendly as well. I'll totally use its service again next time.
Hope this review helps some of you who might be planning to travel somewhere in the region. Let me know what you think after you use this platform or any other platform that you'd like to recommend. Cheerio! π
Disclaimer:Β
This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase using my link.
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On 7 August 2019, i made a booking for 2 ferries tickets from Singapore to Bintan via through easy book.com.
I only released that I was charged twice for 2 separate booking reflected on my bank statement.
Immediately i contacted your customer service yesterday, 26 September 2019 telling me that there are no refund based on your company policy.
I wouldnβt have known until i checked my statement. It is not a small amount to pay a total of $430.00 for Ferry tickets. I could have taken a flight instead with it. Why would anyone purchased duplicate tickets for the same trip, arenβt there any notification in place to inform the consumers.
It was my first time booking and had this bad experience with Easy Book.com. This is a complete dissatisfaction and unacceptable response i would have expected from Easy book. I am requesting to speak to your Manager or Director for this matter. As a consumer, i believe i have my rights under Case trust β consumerβs act, Rights and protection for this instance.
Hi, Iβm sorry for your bad experience using the platform. However, I am in no way associated with the brand, so to solve your problem I suppose you can reach out across their social media platforms since just like you, I only used my service and shared my experience. Thanks for stopping by though!