TransportationGetting To Penang
By Air Penang is easily accessible by air with daily flights from major airports in the country and the region. The Penang International Airport is about 20km from the city centre. Taxis playing the route follow the coupon system which fares between the airport and various destinations in Penang are fixed.
By Road The North-South Highway connects Penang to major cities on the West side of Peninsular Malaysia. Travel by highway can take anywhere from 4-5 hours with toll charges in between. Once you reach Butterworth, which is the island's main entry point from the mainland, you may take either the Penang Bridge or the ferry to cross over to the island, which still operates from Butterworth to Weld Quay and will transport your vehicle too at a small charge. A charge of RM7 is levied on all classes of cars at the toll plaza in Perai on the mainland. No payment is required for travelling from the island to the mainland. By Ferry From Butterworth, it is necessary to take the ferry to Penang Island. The ferry service is available for both passengers and vehicles. Tickets are purchased at the Butterworth terminal. Frequency: 20 minutes Duration: 20 minutes Ferry Operating Hours Island – MainlandMainland – IslandFirst ferry: 5.40am Last Ferry: 1.00amFirst ferry: 5.40am Last ferry: 12.40am Ferry Fares: Car: RM7.70 Motorcycle: RM2.00 Pedestrian (Adult): RM1.20 (Child): RM0.60 By Rail The journey from Kuala Lumpur to Butterworth takes approximately six hours. Taking the train is a comfortable way to travel within the country and it affords one the opportunity to see a lot of the countryside. The railway station on mainland Penang connects to the mainline which runs from Bangkok to Johor Bahru (for access from Singapore) Getting Around Penang's public transport system is efficient and moving around by taxis, buses or trishaws may be a fun and inexpensive way of catching the sights. Taxis Taxis are easily and widely available around the island; it is the most common means of getting around by visitors. But bear in mind that the taxis here don't use meters, so be sure to agree on a price first before boarding the taxi. Start by asking how much it is to get to your destination; you can negotiate on the prices quoted if you feel that they are too high. MyTeksi MyTeksi is a taxi-dispatch service with GPS-enhancements, allowing passengers to book the nearest taxi with extreme ease with just several taps of their smartphone. MyTeksi automatically detects the commuter’s current location using a smartphone’s in-built GPS. The app will then show the number of available taxis within a certain radius. After the commuter selects his/her destination, the booking request is sent to taxi drivers within the radius so they can bid for the job. The taxi driver nearest to the commuter gets the job. Within a minute, the commuter receives a booking confirmation coupled with crucial information about the ETA, taxi number and the driver’s contact details. The commuter can also track the real-time location of the booked taxi. Customers first need to download the app, which is available for free on iOS devices (http://bit.ly/myteksi-ios), Android (http://bit.ly/myteksi-android), Windows (http://bit.ly/myteksi-windows) and selected BlackBerry smartphones (http://bit.ly/myteksi-blackberry). |
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