If you’re planning to travel in Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia by using the various public transport options, here’s a guide on how to pay for public transport in Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia.
How to pay for public transport in Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia
There are four main payment methods for public transport in Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia: Cash, Touch ‘n Go card (Malaysia’s transport card), contactless via debit card, and online payment.
Quick links
- How to buy train tickets in Malaysia
- How to pay for LRT, MRT, Monorail, and KTM train rides in Malaysia
- How to buy KLIA Ekspres/Transit train tickets in Malaysia
- How to buy ETS train tickets in Malaysia
- How to buy bus tickets in Malaysia
- How to pay for Rapid KL bus rides in Malaysia
- How to pay for GO-KL city bus rides in Malaysia
- How to pay for taxi rides in Malaysia
- How to pay for Grab rides in Malaysia
- How to buy day passes for Malaysia and KL public transport
How to buy train tickets in Malaysia
For traveling within Kuala Lumpur and the greater Klang Valley, you can purchase train tokens with cash or use the Touch ‘n Go card (Malaysia’s transport card) to access the trains.
For traveling between Kuala Lumpur and the airport or traveling to other states/cities, you can purchase train tickets with cash, use the Touch ‘n Go card (Malaysia’s transport card), or purchase tickets online in advance.
How to pay for LRT, MRT, Monorail, and KTM train rides in Malaysia
You can purchase tokens at the station’s ticket kiosks using cash or use the Touch ‘n Go card (Malaysia’s transport card) to tap in at the terminal. For KTM train rides only, you can also use debit cards, credit cards, and e-wallets.
How to buy KLIA Ekspres/Transit train tickets in Malaysia
Take the KLIA Ekspres or KLIA Transit to get from KLIA to KL Sentral in less than 30 minutes. You can purchase the tickets online in advance at a discounted price. Or you can purchase tickets using cash or tap in using contactless cards (Debit card, credit card, Touch ‘n Go card).
How to buy ETS train tickets in Malaysia
You can purchase ETS train tickets online on the official ETS booking website.
How to buy bus tickets in Malaysia
If you’re traveling within Kuala Lumpur, you can pay for bus rides using a Touch n’ Go card, or in some but not all cases, debit and credit card.
If you’re traveling between cities, you can book your tickets online. Here are 2 sites I recommend: Klook and Easybook.
How to pay for Rapid KL bus rides in Malaysia
Touch ‘n Go card is the only way to pay for Rapid KL bus rides. You can pay by tapping in or out of the bus.
How to pay for GO-KL city bus rides in Malaysia
The GO-KL City Bus is free for Malaysians. Non-Malaysians will need to pay a RM1 per ride fee via cashless payments (Touch ‘n Go card, debit card, credit card).
How to pay for taxi rides in Malaysia
For non-e-hailing taxi rides, it’s best to carry cash as a form of payment.
How to pay for Grab rides in Malaysia
Grab is the most popular e-hailing app in Malaysia. You can either pay for the ride by adding your card details in app, or by cash to the driver after the ride ends.
How to buy day passes for Malaysia and KL public transport
My Rapid offers a 1-day or 3-day MyCity pass, which gives you unlimited rides on the LRT, MRT, Monorail, and Rapid KL buses. The pass needs to be activated on a Touch ‘n Go card. You can purchase both at one go at any LRT, MRT, or Monorail stations’ Rapid KL customer service offices. Here are the ticket prices:
| Type | Malaysian | Non-Malaysian |
|---|---|---|
| 1-Day pass (You already have a Touch ‘n Go card) | RM6 | RM10 |
| 3-Day pass (You already have a Touch ‘n Go card) | RM15 | RM25 |
| 1-Day pass + new Touch ‘n Go card* | RM25 | RM30 |
| 3-Day pass + new Touch ‘n Go card* | RM35 | RM45 |
If you’re thinking of doing a day or night tour around the city, the KL Hop On Hop Off Bus is a pretty good choice which you can book tickets in advance too. Here are the tickets for day and night tours.
If I would like to travel to Kuala Lumpur and go with bus go KL, and plan to pay with contactless credit card, but I go with 4 family members, can I tap my credit card 3 or 4 times?
Hi Indri, I haven’t experienced this personally so I’m not sure. There also doesn’t seem to be resources online for this as the use contactless cards is a relatively new rollout.
The best is if you can check with a Rapid KL representative at one of their counters, which you can find more info here. Do note that the GO KL bus is free for children aged 12 and below, in case you are traveling with kids.
If you need more cards and you’re considering Touch ‘n GO cards, Rapid mentions that you can only use one Touch ‘n Go card for one rider at a time (Although this is for the MRT feeder bus, but since the same company runs GO KL, I believe it’ll work the same).
Here’s where you can get Touch ‘n Go cards if ever required.