There are several ways to travel from Singapore to Malaysia. In the past, we've flown to Kuala Lumpur and taken the train to Johor Bahru. But this time, we decided to try the bus to Melaka.
Melaka has been on our travel list for a while. It's known not only for its rich history but also for its amazing food, and we were excited to explore both.
We chose the bus because it seemed to be the most efficient way to get from Singapore to Melaka. Curious about how our trip went? Read on to find out!
The first thing we did was book our bus tickets. These days, you can easily book tickets online, so there's no need to visit a ticket office. There are many websites and apps available for booking.
Out of all the options, we went with BusOnlineTicket.com. This site offers a wide selection of buses to Melaka and other cities in Malaysia.
Besides buses, they also offer train and ferry ticket services to ports in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand. So, you can book different types of tickets all in one place.
For our trip to Melaka, we chose Luxury Coach. The booking process was super easy. All we had to do was enter our personal details, make the payment, and we received our tickets by email.
Our bus was set to leave from Serangoon NEX MRT Station, Exit E at 9:00 AM, so we made sure to arrive early at 8:00 AM to avoid any last-minute rush. The general tip is to follow the signs for Exit E after you get to Serangoon MRT Station.
Once we reached Exit E, we were a bit confused because there wasn’t any clear information about where to catch our bus. All we saw was a regular bus stop and a taxi pick-up point, with people coming and going from the station.
Not sure where to go, we decided to wait near the exit while keeping an eye on the buses passing by. Luckily, we knew what the Luxury Coach bus looked like. At around 8:30 AM, we finally spotted our bus.
It turns out the bus doesn’t stop at the regular bus stop or the taxi area. Instead, it pulls over in an empty space under the pedestrian bridge. If you exit from Exit E, just walk to the left, and you’ll find the spot after passing the bridge.
When the bus arrived, we got on right away. The driver asked for our names while checking his list. After confirming our identities with our passports, we were allowed to board.
Since we had luggage, we placed it in the bus’s side compartment before boarding. We were also given a sticker with “Luxury Coach” on it, which we had to wear during the trip—probably to make it easier for the driver to identify passengers.
Inside the bus, we sat according to the seat numbers on our tickets. The interior was quite nice, with a 2+1 seating arrangement. Each seat had a USB port, a bag hook, and a spot for a water bottle.
The seats were spacious, with plenty of legroom. For extra comfort, there was a footrest, and the seatbacks could recline to make the ride more relaxing.
Before the trip started, the driver handed out water bottles and did a quick headcount to ensure everyone was on board. With everything in place, the bus left—30 minutes earlier than scheduled!
After leaving, the bus made two more stops to pick up passengers—first at Harbourfront Centre and then at Boon Lay MRT Station.
Once everyone was on board, we headed to Tuas Checkpoint for Singapore immigration, instead of the more commonly used Woodlands Checkpoint when crossing to Johor Bahru.
For immigration, we only needed our passports. The process was quick since everything was done through the auto gate system. We simply scanned our passports and had our photos taken at the machine.
Once we were through immigration, we headed back to the bus, which was waiting in the parking lot near the exit. Once all the passengers were back on, we continued our journey to Malaysian immigration.
About 10 minutes after leaving Tuas Checkpoint, we arrived at Sultan Abu Bakar Complex for Malaysian immigration. Unlike Singapore, we had to take all our belongings, including the luggage stored in the bus’s trunk.
Oh, and before going through Malaysian immigration, you're required to fill out the Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC). Luckily, we had completed it the day before, so we didn’t need to deal with it at the immigration building.
The immigration process here still uses manual counters. The officer asked us about our destination and how long we planned to stay in Malaysia. After that, we went through security and customs to have our belongings checked.
Once everything was done, we headed back to the bus, which was parked nearby. Now that we were in Malaysia, we could connect to the free Wi-Fi on the bus.
Once everyone was back on board, the bus continued its journey. This time, we were joined by a tour guide. He briefly introduced himself, checked the passenger list, and then sat back down.
The rest of the trip was mostly on toll roads. The scenery along the way was nice, though mainly made up of oil palm plantations. Around noon, the bus made a stop at a rest area called Ming Ang Express Bus Stop.
This rest area seems to be a common stop for many buses. Besides ours, there were several other buses parked there. We had 30 minutes to rest, grab something to eat, or use the toilet.
The area itself is quite spacious, with plenty of tables and chairs for people to sit and relax. There were lots of food and drink stalls to choose from, as well as souvenir shops, prayer rooms, and free toilets.
We decided to eat at one of the hot plate stalls and ordered the Sizzling Mushroom Chicken. It’s similar to the hawker stalls in Singapore where you have to bring your food to the table yourself.
Just a heads-up—before grabbing your food, you need to pay at the main cashier, as all the food stalls use the same payment system. Keep in mind that only cash is accepted, so make sure to have some Malaysian Ringgit with you.
After 30 minutes, an announcement was made that our bus would be leaving soon. We quickly got back on, along with the other passengers. Oh, and you’re not allowed to bring food onto the bus, so make sure to finish up before boarding.
After leaving the rest area, our bus got back on the toll road and headed straight for Melaka. The drive took about 2 hours from the rest area, and once again, we passed through endless views of oil palm plantations.
The bus exited the toll at the Jasin toll exit, and that’s when the tour guide stood up to give us some information about Melaka. He shared interesting facts about the city’s history and highlighted some must-visit spots.
For first-time visitors, the tour guide was really helpful. The explanation was in English, and it was clear and easy to follow.
When we arrived in Melaka, the bus made a stop near Hatten Hotel, though it wasn’t directly in front of the hotel but close by, near Mahkota Medical Center and Estadia Hotel.
Before getting off, the tour guide handed out snacks—chocolate biscuits and apple juice. We grabbed our luggage from the bus’s storage compartment and got off.
After a few more passengers disembarked, the bus continued to its next stop at Casa Del Rio Hotel. The entire trip from Singapore to Melaka took around 5 hours and 30 minutes.
Overall, we were very happy with the trip—from booking the tickets to the service on the bus. We paid SGD 38 per person, and we definitely feel it was worth the experience.
