After Singapore, our next destination was the city of Malacca (Melaka) on Malaysia’s west coast. We had planned to make this journey by bus, which was practically the only option.
We had glanced at bus tickets in advance and noticed that there were plenty of buses and options available. However, when we were about to book tickets a couple of days before departure, we realized that planning ahead is often a good idea, as most of the routes were already sold out.
Buying Bus Tickets
There are several bus companies operating on this route, and reviews of their services varied widely. Some reviews mentioned instances where passengers were left behind at border control as the bus continued without them. The routes of the highest-rated companies were already sold out, so with a bit of trepidation, we booked tickets from a company called 707-Inc, which also had similar reviews. However, with limited options, we had to go with this one๐ ๏ธ.
We booked our tickets through busonlineticket.com, which was a functional website, and purchasing the tickets went smoothly. While buying tickets, you could choose the departure point in Singapore and the arrival point in Malacca. We chose Queen Street Bus Terminal as our departure point, conveniently located about 700 meters from our hotel.
Boarding the Bus in Singapore
Queen Street Bus Terminal is essentially a parking lot with a small building that houses restrooms and the 707-Inc bus company ticket counter. We exchanged our tickets at the counter and waited for the bus to arrive. The bus arrived on time, and the staff at the ticket counter guided us to the correct bus. This system worked perfectly, and there was no worry about finding the right bus. The bus filled up at this station and did not stop again in Singapore, so we can’t say how it would work if you chose a different departure point.
Singapore-Malaysia Border Crossing
The first stop on the journey was at the Singapore border for departure clearance. The route went through the Tuas Checkpoint on Singapore’s west side.
Upon arriving at the border, we got off the bus, went through automated passport control, and returned to the bus, which was waiting in the parking lot. We didn’t need to take our luggage at this point. Before departing, the driver counted all the passengers to ensure everyone was on board.
The journey continued a bit further into Malaysia to the Sultan Abu Bakar Immigration Checkpoint for entry clearance. This time, we had to take our luggage and queue for passport control. There were several inspection counters, and besides our bus, there were perhaps 1-2 other busloads of passengers, so there was no significant congestion, with practically about five people in line per counter.
Even though there was no major congestion, the process was slightly nerve-wracking, with the experiences we had read about buses potentially leaving at any moment in the back of our minds. We got our passports stamped and queued for luggage scanning. This process also went smoothly, and it seemed like the officials barely glanced at the scanner screen while chatting amongst themselves. After the scanning, we returned to the bus, which was again waiting in the parking lot. Before leaving, the driver counted everyone again to ensure no one was left behind.
Overall, the bus was very clean, the seats were comfortable, and there was plenty of space. The seats had footrests, and there was ample room to recline the backrest without worrying about disturbing the person behind you. The bus did not have a restroom, but there were facilities at the departure terminal, border checkpoints, and we made a short restroom stop at a rest area about 3 hours into the journey. The entire bus trip took about 4 hours and 15 minutes.
Arrival in Malacca
We had chosen a hotel near the city center as our final destination, but to our surprise, upon arriving at Melaka Sentral bus terminal, the driver announced that this was the final stop. We and another couple who were also heading closer to the center were initially frustrated, but we had no choice but to collect our luggage and figure out our next move. The hotel was about 4 kilometers away, so we ordered a Grab and hopped in. The friendly driver taught us a bit about Malaysia along the way and was curious to learn about Finland.
The pre-read experiences had painted a somewhat daunting picture of the trip, but our experience turned out to be quite the opposite. The journey was very pleasant, including the border crossings, and the staff was friendly. The only downside was the final stop, as the bus did not go to the chosen end point. Fortunately, using Grab is relatively inexpensive, so this wasn’t a major issue.
Bus tickets from Singapore to Malacca: 26 SGD (about 18 โฌ) per person
Journey duration with border crossings: 4 hours and 15 minutes
Grab from Melaka Sentral to the hotel, about 4 km: 16 RM (about 3 โฌ)
