Third Stone From Jalan Ipoh

I live in a housing area in Segambut, near Kepong.

I use public transportation.

I am a guinea pig to the new RapidKL buses, that rolled out in North KL (Kepong, Sentul, Gombak etc.) I could say I was thrilled to be the first.

How does the new system work?

Take a bus from any one of the central stops (Maluri, Titiwangsa, KLCC, Medan Pasar (behind Central Market) or KL Sentral) to another central stop. In my case, Titiwangsa. I then hop on an intermediate shuttle bus that brings me to Metro Prima. Metro Prima is thus the bus hub for Kepong and Manjalara. From there, I take a bus to my housing area.

The buses that route the central stops are 5-10 minutes each. The intermediate shuttles come every 10-15 minutes, and the home-coming bus comes every 15-30 minutes. These are my observations, not something read from their leaflets.

On the downside, it is initially confusing, and you can’t sleep on the bus. I used to take one bus from Medan Pasar all the way to my housing area. I knew its exact times; it always left Medan Pasar at the 15th and 45th minute of every hour, except during peak times. I also knew that the last bus left at 11:15pm.

On the upside, it makes a whole lot of sense. Segmenting the bus routes will segment jams, too; a bus that used to go from A to B to C might get a jam at B. Now, jams delay only the B buses. People actually travel short distance, within a point in A to another point in A, so the jam in B doesn’t affect them. Shorter routes also let the buses be more frequent.

Oh, and the last bus is now 12:30am! Eat that, taxi drivers who charge midnight charge between 11pm and 12 midnight, instead of after midnight! (Oh, and midnight charge is 50% extra, not twice the amount on the meter, kids!)

Anyway, I got on the 2T3 bus from Titiwangsa to Batu Tiga, Jalan Ipoh, where I was waiting for the bus to my place. It was 9:55pm and I was not in any rush, and asked the conductor when the bus would leave. 10:20pm, he said. I took that chance to eat dinner at some roadside stalls nearby.


A chicken burger for RM1.80! Where else can you get that price? Decent sloppy burger.


Super old-school parking meters.

A busker stood in the mainly Chinese crowd and started playing. I went over, dropped a note and asked if he knew Bob Dylan. How many roads must a man walk down before you can call him a man?

As I ate slowly, I saw THREE buses that were headed to my place, pass by. Not bad, not bad.


Inspired, I slung out my guitar. Notice that thing on my hair?


Yes that’s right – a guitar capo! I was shopping around for the spring-loaded one, but couldn’t find one cheap enough that I could afford to lose. Yeah, I tend to lose anything tying my hair, except plain rubberbands.


And this is for those who wonder what my sideburns look like after the 500th-day-haircut.

Anyway, if you don’t like using public transport, then go save up for your own car. Or convince your parents that you’re not traumatized by that road accident anymore. Or get a license. Or walk.

If you don’t have the money, come take the bus with me and I shall impart upon you my virtues of patience.

4 thoughts on “Third Stone From Jalan Ipoh

  1. tina Post author

    hey. i live there too. well.. when i get back to KL end of the year. but seriously.. the buses in KL suck! and.. metro prima is scary!

    but i sure miss damn sloppy joe’s malaysian style. ever tried adi burger at ss15 subang? yuummmm… better than BK and mcDs.

    Reply
  2. Albert Ng Post author

    Er, when you see the new buses, you’d be quite awed. Unless they wreck it in time for your arrival. 😛

    Anyway, the moment you get out, you don’t have to wait for the bus; the bus is waiting to leave. Which leaves a nice glass window between you and the ‘scary’ Metro Prima.

    I’m always game for burger and cheese naan testing, so when I pass by SS15 I’ll ask my friends.

    Reply
  3. Yuenqi Post author

    Batu Tiga? Aha.

    Well, I use public transportation, alot.
    And I remember seeing you on the opposite platform of KL central’s Putra LRT station.

    Anyway, I have never thought about using capo to tie the hair. Nice idea. >_>

    Reply
  4. kexin Post author

    oh? i live nearby segambut too, its sri sinar… but nowaday de traffic there its so suckening!! always jam… missed de time using public transport… somemore petrol increasing, feel like killing…by de stupid government… and its seem u like to take rock gigs’ photos… but never see u before.. ha!

    Reply

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