Getting around in Kuala Lumpur

Overview

Kuala Lumpur offers a number of public and private transportation systems for the medical tourism traveler, including buses, commuter trains, and taxis. Local transportation is reasonably quick and efficient, although KL remains notorious for its traffic jams.  

Trains

There are 2 commuter train systems you can use to get from one part of the city to another. The KTM Komuter connects points in most of the biggest residential areas in and around Kuala Lumpur.  The city also has light rail transit systems that use elevated tracks above the crowded city. These light rail systems are quicker and more comfortable, especially during rush hour when they can avoid traffic bottlenecks. If you are a 3 or 4 member group traveling together however, then you’ll actually find that a taxi costs almost as much as a ticket on the mass transit.  

Buses

Buses in Kuala Lumpur can be either government run (white buses with red stripes) or privately owned. These offer the medical tourism vacationer a cheap way of getting around in the city. Avoid the morning and evening rush hours, however. 

Taxis

Taxis are another convenient and affordable way of getting around town on your medical tourism vacation. Drivers are required to turn meters on, but if you flag a taxi down at a popular tourist site, it’s not uncommon to have your driver refuse to turn on the meter, preferring to work off of a fixed fare. If you are nowhere near any other means of transportation, it may not be worth it to argue with the driver. Chances are, if one driver refuses to use the meter, the rest of the drivers in that taxi line will do the same. A negotiated fare can be double the metered fare, but is still not such a bad deal. Not all drivers speak English, so it’s always a good idea to write down your destination address on a piece of paper.