Kuala Lumpur is a bustling city and traffic jams are a normal part of life here. In fact, being stuck in traffic for more than an hour going to and from work is a part of many people’s lives. That’s why taking public transportation is a good idea. It reduces the number of cars on the road, and you get to save more on costs too.

Many of you may be thinking that public transport in KL is rather pricey. However, there are ways you can reduce the amount you spend. Here are some of the most practical ways to get a more affordable commute in KL.

  1. The MY50 and MY100 Unlimited Pass

The new MY50 and My100 pass from MyRapid allow you unlimited access to various transportation modes for a period of 30 days. They were introduced in January 2019, and are open to anyone with a MyKad (your IC) or MyTentera (military identity card). As long as you have these cards, you can go to any MyRapid counter and activate your MyKad by paying by cash or credit card. The My50 pass is worth RM50 whereas the My100 pass is worth RM100.

My100 and My5o passes
Image credit: MyRapid Website

My50 allows you unlimited access to any RapidKL bus and MRT feeder bus operating in the Klang Valley, excluding the BRT buses. For the My100 passes, you get unlimited access to the LRT, MRT, BRT buses, RapidKL buses, and MRT feeder buses. This is especially useful for those living and working near train stations.

For more information of these passes, visit MyRapid’s FAQ page.

  1. MyRapid Concession Cards for Seniors, Students and the Disabled

If you’re a student (with a legitimate student card), a senior citizen above 60 or a disabled person certified by JKM, you can apply for a MyRapid Concession card. With this card, you can ride for 50% off on all RapidKL Bus, BRT, LRT, Monorail, MRT services as well as park and ride facilities at Gombak, Ampang LRT stations, SunU-Monash BRT station, and all MRT stations. All you have to do is tap them and only pay half of the regular rate.

To get this concession card, you’ll have to apply at the MyRapid counter at the Pasar Seni Bus Hub, which is open from 9am-5pm from Mondays to Saturdays. For more information on these concession cards, you can refer to MyRapid’s page.

Myrapid concession cards
Image credit: MyRapid Website

  1. Look Out for Those Grab Promos!

Ride-sharing is truly a blessing for KL-ites who now have a better, more accountable and more transparent system compared to traditional taxis. If you’re a regular Grab rider, you can always look out for promo codes that offer discounts, rebates, free gifts and more. One place where you can find these Grab promo codes is of course here at Shopback.

These promo codes will go a long way, even though they may not offer much deductions from your regular rates. Remember that all these small discounts add up to a lot at the end of the day.

ride sharing app
Image credit: Mark Warner@Flickr

  1. Ride Only Metered Taxis

If you find yourself in a situation where you have to take a taxi, always keep in mind that there are plenty of taxi apps nowadays, including GrabTaxi, and EZCab. If you’re booking through these apps, you’ll have your rates displayed on screen and there’s little room for discrepancies.

However, if for some reason you’re flagging down a taxi without an app, always insist on the driver using a meter. The current rates are RM3 base rate for the first 1km, and then 25 sen for every 200m after that.

Taxi drivers who are honest and use meters should be rewarded with business, so as to encourage all taxi drivers to eventually be like them. This is also to ensure you’re not quoted a price out of the blue, or quoted a price that’s double the usual rate.

meter in taxi
Image credit: Pxhere

  1. Take the GO KL or Smart Selangor Free Buses

In the Klang Valley, both the KL and Selangor local governments have been providing free buses. The GO KL buses are mostly for tourists, but you can always ride them if your destination is on the bus route. There are currently three routes, the green, purple and red lines. These lines cover the golden triangle, Jalan Tun Abdul Razak and Pasar Seni/ Puduraya. For more info on routes, you can visit the GO KL website

Go KL city buses
Image credit: GOKL Website

Smart Selangor also offers free buses, with several routes in Shah Alam, Kuala Selangor/Sekinchan, Ampang Jaya and Sungai Buloh . For a full schedule of the bus routes, check out the official pages of your local governments, especially if you live in Ampang Jaya that’s nearest to the city center.

  1. Car Pool

This final tip may sound a bit cliche, but it works for those who live rather far away from any of the public transport platforms mentioned above. Carpooling with loved ones or colleagues that live nearby actually lets you share petrol and toll costs (if any). This would always work out to less than what you’d have to spend if you drove yourself all the time. Plus it gives you a few days off from driving so that you can snooze in the car. Just kidding!

people in car
Image credit: Unsplash.com

Shaving those extra costs off from your travel expenditures isn’t as hard as you think it is. It just takes some snooping around and being vigilant for promos, discounts and new programs on offer by the Ministry of Transport. Some good pages to follow online for updates include Touch N’ Go, Ministry of Transport Malaysia, MyRapid, and KTM Berhad.

*Featured Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons