Getting Out Of The Car : How To Get From SS5 PJ To Mid Valley Megamall Without Driving
I will first make a disclaimer. The purpose of this article isn’t to sell Mid Valley as a shopping destination. It was chosen because with the current traffic conditions, cost of travel (petrol, parking and/or toll) and the various shopping malls in the convenient vicinity of SS5 of Petaling Jaya (e.g. Paradigm, Subang Parade, Sunway Pyramid, Atria etc), Mid Valley is considered far for some especially where travel time is concerned.
This is not to say residents of SS5 never go to Mid Valley (those who work near or around the mall probably would) but the reasons stated above make it an unattractive proposition for some. Further, the parking situation at the mall also plays a part.
But there is a way to get to Mid Valley without you stressing over the driving and parking and it doesn’t cost a bomb. Since January 2016, the Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya (Petaling Jaya City Council) has added two new routes to their free bus service and one of them, PJ 03, serves the SS3, SS4, SS5 and SS6 areas. This bus brings commuters to/from the Taman Bahagia LRT station.
The free bus service runs daily (including weekends) from 6 am to 9 pm and if you haven’t noticed green-colored buses plying the roads, you need to leave the office at sane hours. They run at 15 minute intervals but that’s highly dependent on traffic conditions. The buses are also equipped with free WiFi on-board; connection is iffy at times but is adequate for messaging.
Once you reach Taman Bahagia LRT station, it’s a short ride (approximately 15 minutes) to Bangsar station. A single journey fare to/from Bangsar costs RM 3.20; RM 2.80 if you go cashless i.e. Touch ‘n Go or MyRapid cards. MyRapid also has lower “SMART” rates but these plans only make sense if you’re a frequent commuter as there is a recurring subscription fee. Children under 7 years of age however, ride for free.
Once at the Bangsar station, walk down to street level on the Mid Valley/PJ-bound side i.e. opposite Menara UOA and wait for the free shuttle bus provided by Mid Valley. This shuttle runs from 8:05 am to 10:40 pm Mon – Thur (till 10:50 pm Fri – Sun). The last bus leaves Mid Valley’s South Court at 10:45 pm (Mon – Thur) and 10:55 pm (Fri – Sun). However, there is no free shuttle service between these times: 10.55 am – 11.25 am, 3.10 pm – 4.10 pm & 7.30 pm – 8.00 pm. (Mon – Thur) and 10.55 am – 11.25 am, 2.45 pm – 3.45 pm, 7.15 pm – 7.45 pm (Fri – Sun).
Even if you can’t catch a free shuttle, there are RapidKL and Metrobus buses plying the same route and cost RM 1. The RapidKL buses are tracked by GPS so you can see on the display at the bus stop the buses’ arrival times.
So effectively, going to Mid Valley will cost you RM 6.40 for a return trip, if you pay cash for the LRT and take the free bus services. For a single person travelling and intending to spend more than 3 hours at the mall, it makes financial sense. More importantly, it will take away 1 single-occupant car from the roads and parking lot. And being ‘chauffeured’ means you can spend more quality time on social media.
The drawbacks to this are the incremental cost for additional passengers, travel time (it takes about an hour for the whole journey) and the mismatch in transport operating hours. On the bright side, many children find public transportation fascinating and it’s not always about the destination but the journey.
Helpful links:
PJ City Bus : http://eps.mbpj.gov.my/web2016/Maklumat%20Pertukaran%20PJCityBus.pdf
LRT Fare Table : http://www.myrapid.com.my/deals/promotions/new-fare-structure-lrt-monorail-services
Mid Valley By Bus : http://www.midvalley.com.my/locate/by-bus/
