Looking for an affordable and direct way to get from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to Ipoh, Malaysia? You’re in luck as Justin, my mother-in-law, and I just did this route a few weeks ago.
Kuala Lumpur International Airport (airport code: KUL) has two terminals for international flights – KLIA Terminal 1 (KLIA) and KLIA Terminal 2 (KLIA 2). On the 1st floor of each terminal, there is a Bus Terminal that goes to various Malaysian cities, including Ipoh.
Ipoh is only 250 kilometers (155 miles) from KL Airport (KLIA and KLIA 2) and takes about 3.5 hours to arrive at the Ipoh Amanjaya Bus Terminal (also known as Terminal Meru Raya Ipoh). So, taking the bus is super easy, convenient, and affordable!
In this post, we’ll share step-by-step instructions on taking the bus from KL Airport to Ipoh and other helpful tips. We’ll also share our experience with taking Yoyo Express Bus from KLIA 2.
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Step 1: Figure out the Bus Schedule from KLIA to Ipoh
Before your flight to Kuala Lumpur, get an idea of the bus schedule by checking aggregators such as RedBus Malaysia.
Add the date of arrival, departure from KLIA or KLIA 2 Bus Station, arrival location at Ipoh Amanjaya Bus Station, and number of people, and you’ll see the schedule, bus companies, and number of tickets available. Click on additional filters on the sidebar to narrow your search.
At the time of our research, we saw Yoyo Express and StarMart Express bus companies doing this route and leaving almost every hour or 1.5 hours.
If you’re leaving from KLIA (Terminal 1), buses leave the airport first and then arrive at KLIA 2 about 10 to 15 minutes later.
To verify the aggregator’s information, visit the bus company’s website for more information and check the exact cost, bus schedule, etc.
Step 2: Determine If You Need to Buy Bus Tickets Ahead of Time
After seeing the aggregator information from the previous step of the number of tickets left, don’t have FOMO (fear of missing out).
As someone who loves planning and booking transportation and hotels in advance, I’m here to say that it is not necessary to book your bus tickets ahead of time.
There are buses at least once an hour heading to Ipoh from the airport, even after midnight.
While you can buy bus tickets online before your arrival, you run the risk of the unknowns – a delayed flight, long queues at Immigration and Customs check, and waiting a long time for your checked in luggage.
If you miss your original booking time, you’ll need to forfeit the ride and spend more money to buy another set of tickets.
The only reason to consider buying tickets ahead of time is if you’re traveling during a popular holiday time. But you’ll need to have ample buffer time to catch the bus.
Step 3: After Arriving at KL Airport and Exiting Arrivals, Head to the Bus Terminal to Buy Tickets
After exiting the Arrivals Gate, follow the signs to the Bus Terminals. Take the escalators and head to the first level of KLIA and KLIA 2 Terminal to the Bus Ticket Office area.
If you’re at KLIA 2, the ticket office is next to Door #3.
Step 4: Buy Tickets at the Ticket Booth or Kiosk
There are two options to buy tickets – either in person at the ticket booth or the electronic ticket kiosks.
This is the Bus Ticket Office at KLIA Terminal 2 (KLIA 2)
What is the Difference Between the Two Options?
The ticket booth has a Customer Service representative and he/she can arrange the booking. You can ask the representative any questions that you have. English is spoken here. The payment is credit card only as of April 2024.
The electronic ticket is the do-it-yourself approach and it’s located to the right of the ticket booths. It’s similar to looking at the online bus aggregator where you can pick and choose which bus time you want to go on, your seats, and pay for your tickets with a credit card.
What Did We Do?
Since we landed at KLIA 2, we talked with the Customer Service representative and told the representative that we wanted to go to Ipoh. She asked us how many people and confirmed that we were going to Ipoh.
Since we arrived at 1:30pm, she automatically put us on the next bus route at 2:00pm route with the Yoyo Express Bus. There wasn’t a choice for the bus operator, which was fine with us.
We didn’t see the electronic kiosk until after our transaction. Otherwise, we would have used these to pay for our tickets with a credit card.
How Much is the Bus Ticket?
The cost of the ride from KLIA to Ipoh will vary between 44 to 49 MYR ($9.35 to $10.40 USD) per person depending on the bus company.
We paid 49 MYR per person for Yoyo Express Bus. We think it’s an affordable cost for the budget-friendly transportation option.
Here are our tickets from KLIA 2 to Ipoh on Yoyo Express Bus
Step 5: Enter Waiting Area & Wait for the Bus by the Pillar Number Located on the Ticket
Enter the waiting area by scanning your QR code on your ticket. Then you can exit and head to the pillar number.
Your ticket will have the pillar number, boarding time, and departure time.
But make sure that you are boarding the correct bus. There are multiple buses from the same bus operators arriving around the same time, so it’s best to check where the bus is heading.
This happened to us when we waited for our Yoyo Express Bus at Pillar B4 (KLIA 2). There was another Yoyo bus waiting at the pillar at 1:45pm (our boarding time), but it was going to another destination.
Step 6: Get on the Bus and Enjoy the Ride!
Since you may have had a long travel to Kuala Lumpur, you can now sit back and relax on the bus.
Step 7: Once you arrive at Ipoh Amanjaya Bus Terminal, take a taxi or hire a ride-sharing car to take you to Ipoh Old Town (the main tourist area) or your accommodations.
The bus terminal is located 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) north of Ipoh’s Old Town main area. So it’ll take around 20 minutes to get to Old Town or your accommodation near Ipoh’s Old Town.
We recommend that you take Grab. It’s one of the best travel apps to use in Malaysia for calling a ride-hailing car. The Grab app works the same as Uber, Lyft, or other ride-hailing apps that you’ve used. Everything is done through the app including payment via credit card. It cost us 19 MYR ($4.00) for the ride.
Our Experience from KLIA 2 to Ipoh on Yoyo Express Bus
In my initial research, I wanted to ride a clean bus with a safe driver and overall positive reviews from riders. So, I was thrilled when we received our bus tickets to Ipoh for Yoyo Express as there were many satisfied customers.
If you don’t want to read about our experience in detail, here are some quick pros and cons with Yoyo Express Bus
Pros
- Affordable pricing
- Comfortable seats with air conditioning
- Safe driver
- One toilet break
Cons
- No WiFi onboard
- Ipoh bus terminal is not near Old Town so another form of transportation is needed to get to Old Town
So back to our experience –
After taking an Air Asia flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Kuala Lumpur and ending up in KLIA 2 (Terminal 2), it was super easy to exit Immigration and Security and follow the signs to the Bus Terminal to buy our tickets.
After getting our Yoyo Express Bus tickets, we waited for our bus at Pillar B4. We only needed to wait 30 minutes so it was enough time to use the bathroom and just relax in the waiting area inside the airport.
Once the Yoyo bus to Ipoh arrived, we showed our tickets to the Yoyo representative who stood next to the door. Then, went to our designated seats.
Note: If you need to store large luggage in the lower undercarriage of the bus, you won’t be able to access anything from them until the final arrival destination. You can use the overhead compartments on the bus if you have a small backpack and purse.
There were 30 seats with each row having 1 individual seat on the left side of the bus and 2 seats on the right side of the bus.
Here is a view of the seating area from the back to front
We loved the comfortable cushioned seats and the ample legroom. It’s equivalent to the Premium Economy seating on a flight with the extra legroom. You could recline the seat but my lever was broken.
Here are my legs showing how much legroom you get on the Yoyo bus
The bus did not have any wifi, but it was fine with us. Since we had an early morning traveling, we just napped and rested.
The bus driver was very safe on the road. The driving speed was consistent and didn’t have many lane changes. We didn’t hear the horn being used either! These aspects are huge differences compared to what we’re used to in Vietnam.
About 1.5 hours into the ride, we had a quick 10-minute break at a highway rest area to use the toilet. The public toilets were squatty potties yet they were clean. Ladies, don’t forget to grab toilet paper at the entrance as there aren’t any in the stalls.
Once entered Ipoh, we saw the tall Hollywood “IPOH” signage off the highway and the beautiful cascading limestone caves, which Ipoh is known for.
After exiting the highway, we were close to Ipoh’s bus terminal. Once we arrived and exited the bus, we stretched our arms and called a Grab car to begin our Ipoh trip.
Additional Questions You May Have
What about taking the train to Ipoh from KL Airport instead of the bus?
Malaysia has an efficient train system so it’s possible to take the train from KL Airport to Ipoh.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a direct way, and requires a transfer.
You’ll need to take 30 30-minute to 1-hour train from the airport to KL Sentral Station via the KLIA Airport Ekspres (Express). Then, exit Airport Ekspres and transfer to the KTM for the KL Sentral to Ipoh line. The KL to Ipoh ride is 2 hours and 40 minutes one-way.
Therefore, you’ll need to allocate at least 3+ hours (which is about the same amount of time as the bus ride). Separate train tickets are required for Airport Ekspres and KTM.
Note: If you have a larger travel group (ie: a family of four), you could also consider hiring a Grab car using the Grab app from the airport to KL Sentral Station. It’s cheaper to hire a car for the family than to pay for four individual tickets on the Airport Express.
But if you’re already in Kuala Lumpur city center and want to take the train to Ipoh (which we did the first time), you don’t need to worry about making the extra transit from the airport to KL Sentral.
The cost of taking the train is also more expensive than the bus. Here is the breakdown for 1 adult for one-way travel:
- KLIA Airport Ekspres Ticket: 55 MYR ($11.70)
- KL Sentral to Ipoh Ticket: 38 MYR ($8.70)
- Total: 93 MYR ($20.40) (versus the 49 MYR/$10.40 on bus)
I prebooked my bus ticket for pick up at KLIA but I will arrive at KLIA 2. What should I do?
We suggest that you contact the bus company directly and ask them. They’ll advise on what to do regarding the pick up location.
Are you allowed to eat and drink on the bus?
Technically no, but we heard a few people eating snacks on the bus. At the rest stop, you can eat outside.
Can we get off the bus early to go to Ipoh’s Old Town instead of going to Amanjaya Bus Terminal?
Unfortunately, not. The bus route is mostly highway so there aren’t any stopping points from the rest stop to Amanjaya Bus Terminal, the final destination.
Final Thoughts
We had a fantastic time riding the Yoyo Bus from KLIA 2 to Ipoh. It was relaxing to nap, watch the palm oil plantations and limestone caves pass by, and not have to worry about navigation.
We would definitely use the bus again from KL International Airport to another Malaysian city as a form of public transportation. It’s reliable and convenient to use.
Hope you enjoy your time in Ipoh!
Looking for things to do in Ipoh? Check out our posts below for inspiration:
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