Using The Rapid Penang Bus To/from The Airport

[ovenman]

Of note to Penang visa runners and Penang visitors in general... Starting on 01 July, two Rapid Penang bus routes will be making a stop at the departures level of the Penang International Airport terminal (i.e. inside the airport). The routes are the U401 and the 401E. Fare from the airport to downtown Georgetown should be 2 ringgit. These bus routes stop at both KOMTAR and at Weld Quay (the ferry jetty) in town. Note that these are both regular city buses, not express buses to town. My guess is that you are probably looking at an hour's travel time once actually on a bus. The bus frequency is supposed to be every half-hour, first bus at about 06:35 and the last bus around 23:00. Leaving the airport, make sure you get on a bus going in the direction of Jetty, not Balik Pulau!

[Beavis and Butthead]

Nice. great info OM

[ovenman]

Nice. great info OM

You're welcome.

Just to clarify (in case it wasn't clear in the OP), if you are a bit pressed for time either leaving Penang or upon arrival in Penang, the bus is not a good option. You really need to be in no particular hurry for the bus to be useful.

[Briggsy]

Thanks for the info. I usually walk 10 minutes from the terminal and catch a bus outside the airport. It's a pain but it saves me 260 Baht per time. This will be much better.

[ovenman]

Thanks for the info. I usually walk 10 minutes from the terminal and catch a bus outside the airport. It's a pain but it saves me 260 Baht per time. This will be much better.

It's ironic that I am departing Penang today, one day before this new service goes into effect. I plan to do the same thing this afternoon as you suggest, take the U401 to the first stop across the fly-over outside the airport and then walk back to the terminal.

[sniffdog]

Taxi is about 20 Ringgit .... (200 baht) Is it really worth to take a bus and save 180 baht? Does it really break your budget?

Edited June 30, 2008 by sniffdog

[THAILIBAN]

20 Ringgit ? are you kidding ? when have you been in PG the last time ? in the 1980ies ?

the fixed fare from airport to town (Georgetown, that is...) is around 38 RM as far as I remember, and from town to Airport, you wont be able to get a ride from this mafia-Bunch for less than 35RM. that was BEFORE the government terminated the fuel-subsidy a few days ago.

now you can certainly expect the fare to be around 50 RM.

great news about that Rapid-Bus, no doubt I will make use of it when I am there next time.....

[ovenman]

now you can certainly expect the fare to be around 50 RM.

38 ringgit from the airport to central Georgetown is correct. Meant to check the latest fare at the prepaid taxi stand today for a reference when I departed Penang, but I forgot. On a positive note, the Rapid Penang bus drivers decided to take the initiative a day early and I was dropped off on the departures level of the airport terminal.

Two times 35 to 40 ringgit for a taxi versus a round-trip total of four ringgit for the bus may not be a budget-buster, but it's hardly chump change either. The savings paid for a night at my hotel.

[spacebass]

The standard airport prepaid booth taxi fare is still 38 Ringit as of 01/10/08. It can be more to get back to airport.

Bus 2 ringit leaves from Jetty then Komtar bus station No:U401 and same number with a letter suffix. Stops outside departures main doors. They say allow an hour for bus as opposed to half an hour for taxi.

[Robroy]

Thanks for this excellent information - which is still current. (I'm in Penang now.)

Rapid Penang still works pretty well – and is still 2 ringit. I waited 5 minutes after getting out of the airport for a bus. Bus departures were upstairs, just outside the glass doors (ask directions).

I’m not on a visa run – am on holiday. I got of at the central KOMTAR stop, & changed for Batu Feringhhi, the northern beach area. (Again a 5 minute wait, & another 2 ringit.)

The whole journey took the best part of 2 hours. But for $USD1 who’s complaining?

To change the subject slightly: for those interested in a cheap holiday:

I then booked into the luxury Hydro Majestic Hotel via the Internet special of $39 p night for 3 nights. (I tried showing up at the desk: no dice. You have to book via the net. I used Agoda booking service – they were excellent: polite & fast.)

Once there (& ensuring it was a comfortable, well-run place – which it is) I got onto wifi & booked another 3 night package.

The only thing I didn’t do well was the airfare – paying $472 Phnom Penh-KL-Penang return with Malaysian Airlines. That was because Air Asia’s site was (as usual) too slow to use, & (when I tried another computer) too buggy to use.

However had I been able to buy tickets from them, Air Asia would have saved me a hundred bucks or so I think.

At the Hydro Majestic I threw all the brochures on tours to the monkey farm & butterfly park etc in a drawer (why are these places so generic?) & just enjoyed reading & the nearby beach. For a change of pace after a few months of hard work it’s hard to beat. Because of the time of year & the dawning of Great Depression II it’s 3/4 empty too.

[ovenman]

Rapid Penang still works pretty well – and is still 2 ringit. I waited 5 minutes after getting out of the airport for a bus. Bus departures were upstairs, just outside the glass doors (ask directions).

I’m not on a visa run – am on holiday. I got of at the central KOMTAR stop, & changed for Batu Feringhhi, the northern beach area. (Again a 5 minute wait, & another 2 ringit.)

You got lucky with the waiting times. The Rapid Penang buses are great, but there are not enough of them on the road and the time between buses can seemingly be forever. I read in The Star last month that Rapid PG is expecting to take delivery on 200 additional new buses this year. When that occurs, it should alleviate some of the waiting game...

PS - When I was in Penang last month, it was still 38 ringgit for a prepaid taxi from Bayan Lepas Airport to Georgetown.

[tranquillize]

Great info in this thread, thank you! I plan to go to Peneng soon and i've heard about the overpriced taxis, the Rapid bus seems like a decent alternative.