TBS bus station - Terminal Bersepadu Selatan

The new Terminal Bersepadu Selatan, (TBS-BTS) or Intergrated Bus Terminal at Bandar Tasik Selatan opened fully in March 2011.

It serves all southbound buses, taking over from Pudu Raya, which recently reopened after a long closure for renovation.

I took the Komuter train (my album) to Bandar Tasik Selatan to have a look at TBS. I was really impressed by the terminal. It's like a modern airport.

road arch

KLIA express

However first impressions weren't so good, as first one has to climb up a flight of stairs to exit the station, not good for people with luggage. Then there was a queue to leave as there was only one exit point. A covered walkway leads over the network of roads and rails, and escalators go up to the terminal floor. However I noticed people struggling downstairs with luggage, as there are no down escalators from the terminal to the stations. This is really bad in a brand new place. Same thing at KL Sentral, there is no down escalor, only up. Crazy when both places are designed to cater for people with luggage.

The terminal is located next to the Express Rail Link (ERL) KLIA Transit Station, the Stesen Komuter KTM Bandar Tasik Selatan and the Bandar Tasik Selatan LRT Station (Star LRT). There are also Rapid city buses and a taxi rank - plenty of taxis here -

The terminal is huge, is bright, clean and attractive and air-conditioned. There are 6 floors, 55 bus platforms, 150 taxi bays, 1,000 parking bays and 1,800 seats in waiting areas. Entrance -

Bright and clean

The ticket counters are designed to stop touts, though there did seem to be one guy trying to sell a ticket - maybe he was genuinely trying to sell an unwanted one. A huge overhead board displays all the bus times for each company/destination, so its seems easy to choose. Another huge display gives arrival/departure times.

Etickets -

These counters are for specific bus companies, unlike the other general counters.

The departure platforms are downstrairs, separated into gates, and staff check tickets before going down.

Upstairs is a food court and various fast food eating places. There seems to be adequate seating. There are a few shops as well. There is free wifi.

I was really impressed.... until I went to the toilet. There were 6 cubicles, 2 were closed as not working. The one I went to, the paper holder was already broken, and the toilet wouldn't flush. Why oh why are Msians incapable of using toilets properly. On a good note there seem to be ample sets of toilets on each floor.

The terminal is great, just a pity about the access. When leaving the terminal you have to walk down 2 floors and then more stairs to the station. There is a lift, but its like the one at Sentral, takes ages to come and there are crowds. If they can build a state of the art terminal, why can't they install escalators down to ground level????

© Liz Price
No reproduction without permission