Man books coach from S'pore to KL, journey takes 8 hours due to delay, unannounced stops & transfers

A Singaporean man was left displeased after his journey to Berjaya Times Square in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from Singapore took eight hours instead of six, owing to a delay in the pick-up time as well as stops supposedly not mentioned in the itinerary.

He eventually had to hire his own taxi to go from the bus terminal to the final destination listed on his ticket after being told that he needed to wait for a transfer coach, which was not stated in the fare.

Not told about change in pick-up time

Speaking to Mothership, the man, Tony Tan (not the former president), said that he paid S$43.44 in total for a pair of tickets to Kuala Lumpur.

He booked the trip with Billion Stars Express through the booking platform, Easybook.

It was a "last-minute trip" to KL for a meeting, Tan shared.

Tan also detailed his experience in a post in the Facebook group, "Complaint Singapore".

Tan wrote that after he booked seats on the 11am coach, he rushed to the pick-up point at 18 Tai Seng Street, paying S$14.77 for a taxi.

After arriving at 10:35am, Tan waited. At 11:20am, the coach had yet to arrive.

This was when Tan reached out to Billion Stars Express and was told that the actual pick-up time should be 12pm instead of 11am.

This frustrated Tan because he had received a WhatsApp confirmation from the coach company indicating that the pick-up time was 11am.

"We incurred unnecessary taxi expenses and wasted one hour waiting," Tan commented.

In screenshots of the conversation seen by Mothership, a staff from the coach company apologised to Tan for the mix-up after Tan pointed out the discrepancy.

Multiple stops during journey to KL

Adding to Tan's frustrations, the journey towards Kuala Lumpur was fraught with stops which were not indicated before he booked the trip.

On Easybook, a similarly scheduled coach service was described as "direct" with "no transfer".

However, along the way, Tan said his coach made multiple stops for lunch, toilet break and to pick up more passengers.

One of the stops, according to Tan, lasted 45 minutes.

Coach transfer at KL bus terminal

When Tan finally arrived near Kuala Lumpur at Terminal Bersepadu Selatan, the city's main bus terminal, he was told by the bus driver that he would have to transfer to another coach to reach Berjaya Times Square, his destination.

"The driver could not even confirm when the next coach would arrive," Tan wrote on Facebook.

"[The driver] told us, 'If not happy, complain to company'," he continued.

His repeated calls to Billion Stars Express went unanswered.

In the end, he "had no choice" but to take a taxi to Berjaya Times Square, which cost another RM50 (S$16.19).

Eight hours and extra costs incurred

Tan claimed that the entire journey took more than eight hours in total, which was longer than the promised duration of five hours 37 minutes.

"This service was extremely misleading, poorly managed and highly disappointing," Tan wrote.

He has since reached out to both Billion Stars Express and Easybook.

Besides the time lost, Tan is also aggrieved by the unnecessary transport costs incurred from the initial pick-up delay and taxi he had to hire out of his own pocket to get to his final destination.

Unable to provide compensation

Billion Stars Express directed queries to the booking platform, Easybook.

Responding to Mothership's queries on May 15, an Easybook customer service officer said that the platform takes customer experience "seriously" and "sincerely regrets the frustration and inconvenience faced by the passenger".

He also said, "We expect all operators listed on our platform to maintain high standards of service, communication, and reliability."

"We are currently conducting a thorough review with the coach operator involved, Billion Stars Express, to better understand the circumstances surrounding the delays, additional stops, and coach transfer highlighted in the complaint," the officer shared.

He also explained that travel durations displayed on the Easybook platform are estimated based on typical traffic and border clearance conditions.

"Actual journey times may vary depending on factors such as congestion at customs checkpoints, traffic conditions, operational stops, and other unforeseen circumstances, particularly during peak travel periods," the customer service officer said.

"That said, we understand the passenger’s concerns regarding the overall travel experience and communication during the journey. We are reaching out directly to the affected customer to gather further details and to address the matter appropriately following our review with the operator.

We will also continue to work closely with Billion Stars Express to reinforce service expectations and improve the overall travel experience for our customers."

Tan said he received an email from Easybook on May 17 explaining that "pick-up and drop-off arrangements, including route planning, stops and operational timing adjustments, are managed directly by the bus operator".

"These may vary due to operational requirements, such as traffic conditions, passenger handling, or logistical arrangements," the booking platform further explained.

It also informed Tan that it was unable to provide any compensation as "the journey was completed and the service was utilised".