We decided to try our Klang Valley public transport for a day in the city. We live in Petaling Jaya and had 2 meetings and 2 press events to attend in Kuala Lumpur city center in one day. Uber and Grab at peak hours are no longer cheap to use…..an average of RM33-RM38.00 one way as we have used this before. So, it was time to test the public transport system.
We started our journey at 9.30am…..not peak hours. Walked to the nearest PJ Free Bus stop. A nice 10-minute brisk walk…good exercise….lost some weight…maybe. Not too hot. Bus was quick to arrive and took our PJ Free Bus which is in a nice green colour to University hospital at Jalan Gasing. The Free bus was clean, the driver drove well, air-conditioning was good and the bus was not too crowded. Mostly foreigner’s and pensioners on the bus.
The next bus was a RapidKL bus to Brickfields. This was a 10-minute wait and then the bus arrived packed. Waited for the next bus which just 10-minutes later and then a 30-minute journey to Brickfields in heavy traffic. In Brickfields we boarded the Monorail to Berjaya Times Square (BTS). The station was packed at 10.30ish, mostly with tourists and some locals. The 10-minute journey was good but the Monorail air conditioning was very lacking and we arrived with some sweat dripping down our backs.
After our quick meeting at BTS we took the Monorail to Life Center (2 stops away) for a press event. Quick and easy. Next meeting was at KLCC which was a short walk. After a quick expensive coffee and chat we walked to the Intermark at Jalan Ampang for a final event for the day.
After the event we went to the Ampang Park LRT station which was a short walk along a shaded walkway. From Ampang Park we took the LRT on a 40-minute direct journey to the Paramount LRT station in Petaling Jaya where we decided it was time to call in a favor with the wife to pick us up. We were tired and the Grab and Uber rates showing on our smart phone was a little to high for our liking….it was after all peak evening traffic.
So, can we live without a car? Yes, we can if we had no choice and with budget constrains. In our present situation, we need our car, we will accept the traffic, pay the high KL city parking charges and try and find ways to avoid expensive parking lots.
Public Transport costs:
- Public transport costs total – about RM12.00 only
- Weight loss and added exercise….so no need to join a gym!
RIDE SHARING possible COSTS:
- Peak hours (9.30am) to KL city – about RM38.00
- Peak hours back home (4.45pm) – about RM34.00
If We Drove Into The City:
- Parking at 1st location – RM6.00
- Parking at 2nd location – RM12.00
- Parking at 3rd location – RM8.00
- Petrol – RM15.00 average for a 1.8cc car
- Possible stress to self?
- Possible wear and tear of vehicle?
Beverage:
- Expensive coffee – RM19.90
