Transportation in Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur and the rest of the Klang Valley are covered by convenient modes of public transport like bus, rail and taxi. KL Sentral is the main travel centre and functions as an interchange station for the railway system. Operated by the KTM Intercity, this centre provides services to cities as far as Singapore in the south and Hat Yai Thailand in the north. Kuala Lumpur is served by Port Klang, which is located about 64 km (40 miles) southwest of the city.

The city of Kuala Lumpur is very well connected by roads. Kuala Lumpur is also well connected by air as it has two airports.

 

Our Kuala Lumpur Transportation Guide below shows you how to get to the city, as well as the easiest ways to get around once you arrive. One of the best ways of doing this is taking a Kuala Lumpur tour. Also go to our Malaysia Transportation Guide for general information about travelling to and within Malaysia.

Kuala Lumpur Transportation Guide

Getting to Kuala Lumpur

By Plane

All domestic and international jet flights land at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, which is located 50 km southwest of Kuala Lumpur. This airport is ranked as one of the top airports of the world. The old airport in Subang is now used only for turboprop and chartered flights. Over 50 airlines function from KLIA, which is also the main centre for the national carrier, Malaysia Airlines. High-speed train services like KLIA Ekspres from KL Sentral help you reach KLIA in twenty eight minutes, while a car journey will take an hour.

KLIA has a new Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT), which is presently used by Air Asia, Tiger Airways and Cebu Pacific. Buses shuttle frequently between the two terminals, costing RM 1.50 per trip.

A community airline Firefly, a subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines, has started operating from Subang. It flies daily to Penang, with the journey time being one hour. Berjaya Air flies daily to and from Tioman Island. It flies five times in a week to and from Pangkor Island and has special flights to Redang Island. Apart from this, it has two weekly flights to Ko Samui in Thailand.

Note: Do not accept offers from touts in the arrival foyer even if they show you genuine price lists because they may charge you more than the Airport Limo taxis. In case of accidents you will not be covered by insurance.

For transport from the airport to the city (or from the city to the airport), we recommend Green Path Transfers, who offer eco-friendly airport transfers in hundreds of destinations around the world.

Visit our partner Air Valid for Airline Reviews and Information about Malaysia.

By Road

Kuala Lumpur's main bus station, Puduraya is situated in east Chinatown. Buses from Puduraya go all around the Malaysian Peninsula, including the east coast, Singapore and Thailand. Bus services are also available from KL Sentral.

By Rail

KL Sentral (Central Station) and the privatised Keratapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) is the centre of Malaysia's national railway system. Long distance trains depart daily from KL Sentral to Butterworth, Wakaf Bharu (for Kota Bharu), Johor Bahru, Thailand and Singapore. The KTM information office located in the main hall provides information about trains.

Getting Around Kuala Lumpur

By Train

Kuala Lumpur's public transport system constitutes 3 LRT (Light Rail Transit) lines which are operated by Rapid KL. The semicircular KL Monorail passes through the Golden Triangle and the KTM Komuter makes regular trips to the outer northern, southern and western suburbs. Although the fares are very cheap (RM 1.2 and above), the connectivity is very poor. The touch-and-go card available for RM 10 at all the major stations can be used on all the lines except the airport express line.

By Bus

Rapid KL's city shuttle buses, called Bas Bandaran in Malay, are very useful. These buses, with a prefix B in the route numbers, travel on 10 major routes and cover all major areas of Kuala Lumpur. The fare for the whole day is RM 2. If you buy an integrated daily pass (Sepadu) for only RM 7 then you can make numerous trips and take a ride on any Rapid KL and LRT bus for the whole day. You need to buy a ticket on your first ride and just show your ticket for all subsequent rides. The other bus operators in Kuala Lumpur are Metrobus, Len Seng, Permata Kiara and Selangor.

By Taxi

The red and white normal taxis are the best way to travel inside the city. They charge a basic rate of RM 2 and an additional RM 0.10 is charged for every 200 m covered after the first 2 km. The bright yellow premium taxis charge a basic fare of RM 4 and they charge a little extra per kilometre. The other small surcharges included are RM 1 for making a radio call and RM 1 per piece for luggage.

Insist on the meter being used in taxis. You can bargain and pay the taxi RM 5 for short trips and RM 10 for travelling around town. Insist on the prepaid coupon system while travelling to popular places like the airport, KL Sentral and Menara KL.

Taxi drivers near your hotel may offer to take you on guided tours similar to the tours organised by reputed companies. These taxi drivers are very familiar with the city and you may actually get a better bargain and a specially organized private tour for half the cost of an official tour.

You can also call a cab from your hotel. A few names and numbers are given below.    

Comfort Cabs +60-3-62531313

Sunlight Taxi +60-3-90575757

Public Cab +603 62592020

Uptown Ace +603 92832333

By Car

Driving in Kuala Lumpur is a challenge with the heavy traffic, a complicated network of expressways and poor signs, making driving quite difficult. Reckless driving is common and because of this Malaysia has the notorious reputation of having the highest number of road accidents in the world. Be alert and keep a watch out for reckless motorcyclists.

Remember not to park by the roadside in busy districts like Bangsar, Bukit and Bintang.

Transportation Hub

KL Sentral
Jalan Sambanthan, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel: +603-2279 8699
Website: http://www.klsentral.com.my

Rail

KLIA Ekspres / KLIA Transit
KLIA
Tel: +603-2267 8000
Website: http://www.kliaekspres.com

Airline

Air Asia
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: +6032171 9333
Website: http://www.airasia.com

Taxi Transportation

KLIA Limousine Taxis
KLIA, Malaysia
Tel: +603-87873030 / 9223 8080

Bus and light rail

Rapid KL
KL City, Kuala Lumpur
Tel: +603-7625 6999
Website: http://www.rapidklcom.my

Monorail

KL Monorail
KL Sentral
Tel: +603-2273 1888
Website: http://www.monorail.com.my

Coach

KL Hop-On-Hop-Off Coach Tours
Lot 1535-1538, Lorong Haji Hussein 1, Off Jalan Raja Bot, Kuala Lumpur
Tel: +603 2691 1382 - Fax: +603 2691 2382
Website: http://www.myhoponhopoff.com