Info about bus Hatyai to Penang

[jobob]

Dear members

 

I will arrive tommorow at 05:20 at Hat yai in the morning.

Is there immidiately transport with vans to penang, or drive they on schedule ?

 

Kind regards

Bob

[ballzafire]

Schedules, normally.  A few buses to choose from.  Wait to take those.  Avoid the minivans.......

[siam2007]

I did that about 3 years ago and there were no large Buses plying the HY - PEN route, only nasty minivans. I opted for the train to Butterworth, which was slow but a wise decision, though upon return, due to schedule constraints, I had no other choice but to take a Minivan. Needless to say, it was hair-raising and this luckily was my last Minivan long-distance trip that I completed. The first van went to the border, where people were transferred to other Vans, according to their destination. Both drivers showed those nervous twitches as soons as they started to drive, typical for people under the influence of amphetamines. One of the two was certainly above the age of 60 which was even more shocking to see such a person taking those funny coloured pills. Both were speeding for nearly the entire distance, the older one clearly suffered from fatigue and I had to yell at him a few times to keep him awake

[Rhys]

I've done this before as well and I will never do it again...Fly... it is luck of the draw with those minivan driver(s)  some can be cool and then are the types that seem to hate their jobs, hate the westerners, and truly see if they can scare the heck out of you by speeding, driving unsafe and smiling while they do this.

 

Take the plane.... a little more expensive but your health and safety will appreciate your choice.

 

 

[lopburi3]

Actually when I used vans a decade or more ago the main issue was the internal smell - the driving was not that bad as it appears Malaysia actually did enforce speed limits. 

 

I never took but there should be bus service to Butterworth (next to train station).

As said there is also train service if you are there are the right time.

And van service from travel shops downtown.

And share taxi - that you can take by yourself by paying.

And there is the air option - but to my thinking too close for air travel.

[Roota]

The new train on the Malaysia side is very good these days. About 1:40 from the border at Padang Besar to Butterworth, quicker and cheaper than the van and a whole lot safer too.

[4evermaat]

Yes.  The int'l train 35 no longer goes all the way to Butterworth.  You must either take the train (or several others from Hat Yai) to Padang Besar train border or a mini-bus or local bus to Padang Besar land border (two different border entries a few minutes apart from either other).

 

Then from Padang Besar, take another Malaysian train to Butterworth and take the ferry over to George Town.  They run about every hour or so.

 

The only other option is to take the minivan service from Hat Yai to Penang.  I forgot where to catch this van, but this thread might help:

 

this quote might be of particular interest:

 

Quote

....A company worth checking out is Chao Vang Travel, 70/2 Lamaisongkraw Road, Hat yai, Songkhla 90110, Tel. 081-5995310, 089-7369480 GPS: 7.000861, 100.475750; 400-450 baht or so. I'm not sure if you must go to their shop or if they will pick you up @ the bus station; but you should be able to walk to it. If they have an early minibus, see if you can go directly to the Thai consulate...... 

 

 

[siam2007]

That is of course bad news if one slow train ride becomes two slow train rides with probably not matching schedules.

Sometimes I understand people that risk their life in a Minivan as the schedules of other means of transport are just too inconvenient and annoying. But as for myself, no poor schedule would made me hop on a Hat Yai - Penang Minivan again. What is losing 2 or 3 hours of your time compared to arriving in an urn in your country of origin soon later "but the schedule was more convenient"

[Rhys]

Fly....it