Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
BY TAXI If you ask me, KL cabbies should hav e their tires slashed. If you can get one
to stop, the driver will almost always r efuse to use the meter (which is against the law),
quoting what seems to be the standar d—RM10 ($2.90/£1.80), usually for a trip that
normally costs RM4 ($1.15/70p). I f it's raining, expect that quote to double. I usually
don't dicker over the price because it 's only a buck and a half . It's just fr ustrating when
cab after cab passes y ou by. In some places within the city , taxi stands tr y to solv e this
problem. Be prepared for taxis to pull o ver, roll down the windo w, and hear the pleas
from the line befor e deciding upon which passenger to take, r egardless of the or der of
the line.
Taxis can be booked by phone with an RM1 (29¢/18p) booking charge. Call Cityline,
& 03/9222-2828; Comfort, & 03/2692-2525; or Sunlight, & 03/9057-5757. Some-
times these services are not reliable.
Technically, the meter ed fare is RM2 (60¢/35p) for the first 2km (1
219
1 / 4 mile) and an
additional RM.10 (3¢/2p) for each 200m (656 ft.) after that. B
etween midnight and
6am, you'll be charged an extra 50% of the total far e.
BY BUS I don't recommend travel on city buses. They're cheap but not dependable,
with city r outes that will get ne wcomers lost for sur e. It's not the most r elaxing way to
get around.
BY RAIL KL has a network of mass transit trains that snake thr ough the city and out
to the suburbs, and it'll be worth your time to become familiar with them, because taxis
are sometimes unr eliable and traffic jams can be unbearable. Trouble is, ther e are five
train routes and each one is operated b y a different company. How confusing! The lines
don't seem to connect in any logical way.
The four lines that ar e most useful to visitors ar e the Putra LRT, the Star LRT, the
KL Monorail, and the KLIA Ekspres to the airport. The latter route is explained under
“Getting into Town from the Airport,” above.
The Kelana Jaya Line, formerly called P utra LRT, has stops at B angsar (featured in
the section “Kuala Lumpur After Dark,” later in this chapter), KL Sentral (train station),
Pasar Seni (Chinatown), Masjid Jamek, Dang Wangi, and KLCC shopping center. The
Ampang & Sri Petaling Line, formerly called the Star LRT, is convenient if you need to
get to the Putra World Trade Centre. It also stops at Masjid Jamek and Plaza Rayat. Aver-
age trips on both lines will cost ar ound RM2 (60¢/35p).
The KL Monorail provides good access thr ough the main hotel and shopping ar eas
of the city, including stops at KL Sentral, Imbi, Bukit Bintang (the main shopping strip),
and Raja Chulan (along J alan Sultan Ismail, where many hotels are). Fares run between
RM1.20 (35¢/20p) and RM2.50 (70¢/45p).
As a r ough guide, all lines operate betw een 5 or 6am until ar ound midnight, with
trains coming every 10 minutes or so. Tickets can be purchased at any station either from
the stationmaster or from single-fare electronic ticket booths.
ON FOO T The heat and humidity can make walking betw een attractions pr etty
uncomfortable. H owever, sometimes the traffic is so unbearable that y ou'll get wher e
you're going much faster by strapping on your tennis shoes and hiking it.
Fast Facts: Kuala Lumpur
The area code for Kuala Lumpur is 03, and the city's phone numbers have an eight-digit
format. Numbers in the rest of the country have seven digits.
The main office for American Express is located in KL at Menara Maybank, Ground
Level banking hall, Jalan Perak ( & 03/2050-0888 ). You'll also find headquarters for all
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