First Coach Express Bus
Telephone: +65 68222111 (Singapore) | +603 22873311 (Malaysia)
Bangsar Office:
No 48 Jalan Kemuja
59000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Schedules:
Kuala Lumpur – Singapore – Kuala Lumpur ( Via 2nd Link )
730am, 930am and 1130am
230pm, 430pm and 630pm
Fares:
From Singapore: 1 Way SGD$33, Return SGD$55
From Kuala Lumpur: 1 Way RM45, Return RM115
Children below 12 – 50% Off Normal price
First Coach Malaysia Singapore Express Bus
It provides 6 trips a day with coaches leaving Kuala Lumpur at 7:30am, 9:30am, 11:30am, 2.30pm 4.30pm and 6.30pm.
The coach terminals are at Jalan Kamuja in Bangsar Utama, about 100m from the Bangsar PUTRA LRT station.
In Singapore, passengers are dropped off at Novena Square, close to the Novena MRT station.
Extra Information From Comments (26 Nov 2007)
Dan:
I have taken First Coach a few times, generally quite happy with the service. But I have been trying to call them for the past 2 weeks both Singapore and Bangsar offices, I think I have at least tried 50 times in total, and only once I managed to talk to someone. What I find funny is that nobody answer the call, but when I redial, it has become busy tone.
Another thing to take note, if you want a ticket from Singapore to Bangsar 6.30pm Friday, then you better go find other alternatives. First Coach has a very bad policy, ie, they allow you to book the ticket 60 days in advance (sounds good right? but read on) but only collect the ticket 2 or 3 days befor departure, without any commitment. Means people can always book way in advance but only make up their mind whether they want to take the coach or not. I think a lot of people abuse this convenience.
Wonder why you did not update the information for First Coach. They have a new point in BU, the number is 03-77253311. For those who have problem calling the Bangsar office, you may try this. You can call BU to book Bangsar-Singapore ticket and vice versa. I just did that.
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Hi there,
Price and quality are balance, thumb up for 1stCoach.
I’m a loyal customer to 1stCoach, and I must say that the service are excellent
You can buy the ticket from Bangsar from 7am till 7pm. Remember to take its business card, it has map + useful info.
Enjoy traveling (^-^) and Thanks 1stCoach!
Im trying to call First Coach Malaysia Singapore Express Bus since last week but cant get thru this two numbers.
03-2287 3311 & 03-2287 9035
Could u please provide me the number to do booking.
Thanks.
Regards,
Reet
i would like to ask what time the bus departs from s’pore Novena Square? please provide…
The bus departs from Novena Square and Bangsar at these times:
7.30 am, 9.30 am, 11.30 am, 2.30 pm, 4.30 pm, and 6.30 pm
They are also opening a new branch near the TV3 Station in Bandar Utama, departing at 3 pm and 7 pm daily.
As a frequent user, i recommend 1st coach. The busses are mostly on time (5 hours travel time) because they use Tuas checkpoint instead of Woodlands, which is far less crowded. Aside from that, they also provide water & refreshments for you. They also keep immigration forms handy, in their station and their busses.
However, their Bangsar phone line is very hard to reach, it is often busy/not answered. And also, you will have to book/buy the ticket a few days ahead of your departure, particularly during weekends.
I can’t get thru 1st Coach Bangsar phone line for this past few days. Meanwhile I have to be in Singapore for hari raya, otherwise I’m gonna be alone here in KL:-(
Is there anybody knows better how to get the tickets?
We had a very bad experience with the arrogant and bad customer service with First Coach Singapore, from staff to manager to director. We feel they are unreasonable and don’t care if they lose customers with their bad attitude.
We feel that the staff in Singapore are badly trained with communication problems.
We have hardly ever encountered such bad service in this industry.
Our advice? Stay away from First Coach if you want hassle free bookings and travel. There are many other coaches traveling to KL that are excellent.
We’re using Airbus next. Will keep you posted if we love their service.
TravelBug
Good morning, may i knw y the phone nobody 2pick up..i oledi call many time but still no body pickup the phone. i wan booking ticket back fr singapore on 10/11/2007(sunday).So wat can i do now.wait reply.thank you.
Im trying to call First Coach Malaysia (bangsar)Express Bus many time but cant get thru .i oso wanna booking ticket at Bangsar for
rtd from singapore 10/11/2007(sunday).So how can i get the ticket.
Thank you.
We recently took First Coach to KL. Service was good, drivers drive safely, buses depart and arrive on time. Great value for money.
want to ask, is there toilet on board?
Hi Jannie,
Nope. No Toilet. But there wil be stop for toilet break depending on route.
Hey did anyone get another number for the Bangsar Office… Still no answer or always busy!
I have been trying to call First Coach Malaysia Singapore Express Bus and the lines are always engaged
Could u please provide me the number to book tickets?
It seems that there’s a problem with the 1st coach. I am going to ask around for what happened ! If anyone knows, please do post here or kindly send me an email.
I have taken First Coach a few times, generally quite happy with the service. But I have been trying to call them for the past 2 weeks both Singapore and Bangsar offices, I think I have at least tried 50 times in total, and only once I managed to talk to someone. What I find funny is that nobody answer the call, but when I redial, it has become busy tone.
Another thing to take note, if you want a ticket from Singapore to Bangsar 6.30pm Friday, then you better go find other alternatives. First Coach has a very bad policy, ie, they allow you to book the ticket 60 days in advance (sounds good right? but read on) but only collect the ticket 2 or 3 days befor departure, without any commitment. Means people can always book way in advance but only make up their mind whether they want to take the coach or not. I think a lot of people abuse this convenience.
Dan
I’ve been calling for a long time trying to get through but the caller line is always busy. If the caller line is not busy, no one would answer my calls. Can somebody help me with this problem ?
I’ve just called up Singapore office, customer service girl gave me all the information I need during my first attempt. I couldn’t say it’s a very good/friendly service, but at least I’ve got the things I need.
Anyway, those who are in Singapore can visit their ticket office at Novena Square 3rd floor, from 9:00am to 8:30pm, which I will drop by later.
Just made some bookings as well. The BU coach timings have now expanded to 8:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
(timings valid for to/from BU/Singapore)
But, 7:00 p.m. already booked to 2 months in advance.
I have tried first coach and I do not recommend it for these reasons:
- Cannot get tru’ to them via phone bookings
- No toilet onboard.
- Sometimes they tend to be quite “unfriendly”
- No website to do online bookings (24hrs)
I have found a better alternative which I would like to share my experience. I found that aeroline.com.my is still the best way to travel. Here are my reasons:
- I can get tru’ everytime I call them. no problems booking. Very helpful.
- There is a toilet that we can use on the bus
- Bottomless baverages of mineral water, coffee or tea. There is food too for breakfast and dinner.
- They have a website which I can book online even if it’s 3am in the morning.
- You can pay via credit card or aeroline prepaid card. I find the prepaid card is really helpful when the seats are sold outwhich if you are a member, you can get to buy the lunge seats.(check out more on their webpage)
The website is really helpful. I can check schedule, availability and booking tickets online.
I really recommend Aeroline!
Happy Hols
Matt
I was quite lucky to get through to them the first time i called. However, the customer service was appalling. I had to repeat many times, my intended departure date and and even that, she asked me again and again which dates. It’s like talking to a different person everytime i repeat myself. what a nightmare.
I’m leaving in 2 day’s time, will see what the service is like onboard.
However, i must say they are one of the cheapest in the market.
Being in the service sector, I believe that every customer’s call should be treated as first priority. Opportunity came knocking and was missed/ignored. Doesn’t seems like First Coach is hungry for business – a common problem with many Malaysian “service” companies. I’ve tried calling and visited an infinite, under construction website but yet I could not get a number that could be reached the sales office.
My wife and myself travelled by First Coach to Singapore at least once a month. Although the fares are reasonable, I find the drivers are rather unfriendly in comparison with those from Aerolines. Since food are not provided, I feel a short food stop should be made particularly when the bus is delayed. I have this experience last week when it was held up at the Malaysian Immigration for an hour and the driver was trying to catch up with time and only make a pee stop when requested. It was quite late and some of the passengers are really hungry as the bus also left Singapore at about 0830 which is fifteen minutes behind schedule.
Being a frequent traveller from KLSingapore. I choose Aeroline after weighting the pros&cons of both Aeroline vs First Coach. Higly recommend Aeroline as it is luxury yet affordable (not very much different compare to First coach if u buy return ticket from malaysia). It is totally worth the price (good service, online ticketing, flexibility to change ticket schedule, movie while travel etc).
Last time i went to purchase a ticket at their office in novena square. The counter gal was there, busy sms-ing on her handphone. When i tried to call her, she didn’t respond. I tried calling even louder, she didn’t make a move! Her colleague, who was seated further, was the one who heard me and attended to me, and all the while, the gal never moved or apologised!
I was not impressed at the service standard.
Hi! I’ve bought first coach ticket from Sg-Bangsar on Cny Eve. Has any1 ever travelled on CNy eve? Will there be jam & around how long will it take? Coz my bus is 11.30am while my flight in KL is 7.40pm…Need advise from u all..plss..thanks in advance! ^^
Hey Ann, I taken it before, and the timing of the buses are quite unpredictable.
1130am and 740pm, that sounds pretty tight. you need to check in at 740 or flight departing at 740. Either way, i will strongly suggest an earlier alternative!
Thx PKTan! O gosh..My flight depart at 7.40pm so it means I need to check in by around 6.40pm..~~..Do hope that the bus will reach bangsar ard 4.30pm. Will there be any bad jams on the way?..Sigh~..*Pray~*Pray…I’ll still be working on the CNY eve for half day. =1
This is the 1st time i ride with first coach, the impression of the coach for me is very good, but there is a incident where the rooftop of the bus has water splash in when there is a rain and my husband get wet.the rooftop is close so i wonder why? Most of the service is good but need to check the bus condition before start the journey.
Thanks
A couple of comments.
But before that my advice to Ann, you better look for alternative. The traffic will definitely be very heavy along the north-south highway. My guess is, you will be lucky to get to Bangsar in 6 hours, i.e., 5.30pm. Don’t forget also the possible delay at the checkpoint.
I posted back in November last year regarding problem contacting them on the phone (I was really furious at that time, couldn’t reach them at all). I have since contacted them a few more times regarding tickets and I have to say that it’s much easier to get to them now compare to 2 months ago. I also have NO problem at all when I check out the availability of tickets, never experience problem such as they are not paying attention or rude, etc. On board the coach, I also have no complaint at all, seats are comfortable, drivers ok, good punctuality.
A few of the people here recommend strongly aeroline, yes they are the best at the moment and expanding fast, good in marketing. But I find them (not the ground staff) very arrogant and not responding to any query or suggestion sent to them. I have been a loyal customer of them for around 1 year and I always utilised their service from/to PJ Menara Axis. Recently they stopped some of the services from/to this place, the 6.30pm SIN-PJ service to be exact. I wrote to them TWICE in the space of 2 months asking them to consider a drop off at PJ on the way to Sunway Lagoon, taking probably an additional 2-3 minutes. They did not bother to reply to my message at all. I am not saying they must do what I suggest but they don’t even have the courtesy to reply and say something. I wonder if they really read any complaint or suggestion from the public. I have never considered their service since.
Any idea on bus service to tiara beach resort at Port dickson ?
Hi there.
Recently took the First Coach from S’pore to Kl and back. Service was excellent, the bus operator was considerate of the laws of the road and was pleaseant to deal with.
Keep up the good work I’ll using the service again in March 08.
Good Job
Harjit
Hi Dan,
Thanks for your suggestions about the PJ trips.
We do recieve suggestions from customers including you and we thank you for the suggestions you have.
As far as we can we would like to provide a non-stop door to door service and cannot afford to delay the trip times.
As you know the traffic at PJ may be unpredictable and will affect the trip timeliness.
We are working hard on the trip schedules by introducing 5 additional brand new buses by the end of the month and hope to increase even more trips by the end of the year and improving our service levels.
Please be rest assured that we to our customers. We do have to apologise to you and many other customers that we do not reply specifically to each suggestion as we recieve many emails every day and are not able to reply each and every email sent to us.
*edited (email added): enquiries@aeroline.com.my
Please do continue to send your suggestions when you have any. It will really be helpful for us to keep improving in keeping the standards.
We do hope we can continue to serve you on board Aeroline again.
Yours respectfully,
Aeroline Administration
Very helpful feedback from all, am considering trying First Coach after being recommended by friends of their friendly pricing. But I do know of their infamous ‘not-answering-the-phone’ practice and rude staff, having second thoughts after reading the comments above. If a company is not hungry for business and do not treasure its customers, why should one pay to be treated like dirt? I have always travelled Aeroline, and out of 10 trips, I would say 9 scores high on my list. However,Aeroline needs to maintain its standards too, their service procedures are somewhat not the same for the trips, although the staff are generally very polite and helpful.Keep it up Aeroline, don’t let your ranking and good reputation slip!!
I am from JB, hope that Aeroline wud consider making a drop off points esp. the petrol stations (there are 3 petrol stations) along 2nd links for convenience of Johorians.
Looking forward to your reply.
saya nak tanya tempat kosong untuk bas pergi johor malam ini ada lagi tak?untuk kanak-kanak??
I am afraid that the First Coach policies on change of ticket within 2 days and inflexible staff to reach compremise is going to be their downfall.
When I asked to change tickets for myself and grandson to a later date because we could no longer travel on the date, which I had only purchased the previous evening (17th) to travel on the 19th at 1100. All i got from two stsff was ‘our policy’ and our ’system’ can not!! I even offered to pay any ‘fee’ for the late change as other operators do –still can not. It was suggested that I go to their office in the morning and ‘beg’ any new passengers to buy them from me…..
I suggested that the staff feedback to their top management changes are required to both their system -if no changes are made then First Coach will be the last coach.
They have now lost 4 regular travelers in my familly because of this inflexibility and looks like we are going back to Aeroline. At least they have a toilet available for the current lengthy wait to clear customs and immigration.
I use Aeroline for Sing–>KL (B.Utama) and 1St coach for KL–>Sing. I have been using both services in this manner for more than a year. As stated in previous posts Aeroline Website with online purchase is a Major plus… I travel AustraliaSingaporeKL a lot and am required by Aus Airline staff to show ticket Departing Singapore before boarding. 1st Coach can’t post me a ticket and wont take a CC. Aeroline has E-ticket. I stay in Bangsar so 1st coach is closer. Thats why I go to their office and over counter purchase KL–>sing. In my experience, phone calls to staff of both firms SIng & KL are **AVERAGE**. Always curt (but I guess they could be busy)…so I get the impression of not-so-polite. **BUT** – The staff that I have dealt with (particularly the Chinese Manageress in 1St Coach) when you treat them politely and with respect **ALWAYS** return the same courtesies. Well – for me anyway. I always find a smile and a soft word goes a long way. MY ONLY SADNESS is that Aeroline are REDUCING SERVICES in some areas and as I get in to Sing at 0200 – the long wait till 0700 is bearable – but **now** the service I want is only going to start at 1600hrs – so, sigh! and go into KL and then LRT out to Bangsar.
Thank you to all the people who have bothered to comment their experiences – it certainly helps the decision making process.
JRC, I agree with you. First Coach policy is bad. Once, I bought a 1100hrs bus trip to Damansara. However, due to last min arrangement and family committment, I requested to change to the 1130 trip, which has vacancies and is not fully booked. And guess what? They asked to buy one whole new pair of tickets.Guess I am also going back to Aeroline.
we went down to first coach office in novena to book ticket to kl a day before departure. we told the lady at the counter more than once that the departure time was 8am. the lady checked, confirmed availability and issued us the tickets. it was our fault for not checking, the tickets issued were found to be for 11am departure when we tried to board the bus the following day just before 8am. Lesson to learn is to check the details on the ticket even if you think the lady at the counter is well informed of your travel details.
Wonder why you did not update the information for First Coach. They have a new point in BU, the number is 77253311. For those who have problem calling the Bangsar office, you may try this. You can call BU to book Bangsar-Singapore ticket and vice versa. I just did that.
Hi Dan, Thanks for your info. I just managed to book ticket through the phone number you provided. I think those who wanted to book First Coach Ticket through phone can try this number 03-7725 3311. Besides, I always heard good comment of Aeroline, unfortunately its always fully booked and I still got no chance to try on their services.
hi! i have absolutely NO complains about 1st coach cos every time I travel its been a breeze.and I do travel a LOT! Kudos to 1st coach!
for the last 4 years, i’ve been traveling between KL-Sing about twice a month and have used 1st Coach, Nice, Transstar, Transnasional, Aeroline, Airebus.
Nice, Transstar & Transnasional are just about bearable in terms of service and comfort but i wouldn’t goto them if i had choices.
1st Coach is fine, affordable, basic but it generally gets you there on time but i think getting friday tix is very tough. Also their phone system seems to be falling apart.
airebus (departing from midvalley) is a great bus line. their staff are generally friendly and helpful where they can.
aeroline’s the worst in terms of their staff and policies. arrogant and ‘take it or leave it’ attitude. but it is their ticket replacement policy very hard to stomach.
if you have lost/misplaced/forgot your ticket, most of the bus companies generally issue you a new one or charge you a nominal fee for a new one. no probs- sometimes it happens and so one can accept one’s own fault in forgetting or losing your ticket.
Aeroline however insists that you not only have to buy a new ticket altogether (even though my name was clearly on the passenger manifest) but then submit a claim form which takes a couple of weeks to clear, they follow their own exchange rate AND the refund is subject to a 20% deduction for ‘admin fees’. and to top it all off, they’ll make you go to their head office in town to collect your money rather than mailing it to you.
dealing with the staff at marina square was a pain- they were so incredibly arrogant, just like the management. i haven’t gone back to them since as there are equally comfortable alternatives available.
given the number of bus companies plying SING-KL, you’d think they understand that every little advantage helps. i cannot fathom how aeroline can continue with such expensive policies when every other company is doing fine with substantially cheaper (and more convenient) policies.
be aware, fellow travelers.
i am a new user of firstcoach, but also the last time. partly my fault that i was late, i admit, but what happens at the counter in the novena office boils my blood.
i explained that i was couple of minutes late, and requested their help to change to next bus timeing, subject to availability. the staff were unfriendly and sacarstic, insisting that i book another ticket at full price. i request for help from the manager, but the staff ignore me and refuse to help me make a call. insist its their company policy and calling the manager is no use. meanwhile they pass remarks in malay that i dont understand, but looking at their unfreindly expression, i got a feeling that it cannot be good.
the next few minutes were spent appealing to the staff for some help in one way or another, but the arrogant staff were simply unwilling to express any helping hand. even show tempers at me for being late. finally called the manager, who spoke in an even arrogant manner.
this is the first and last time i am taking this coach. service is extremely bad, and staff are arrogant and unfreindly. maybe these staff should really reconsider their career. they are really bad in service attitude
First time i’m using their service i found it’s very safe journey and peace of mind. But after this case today.. I’m may not be used their service anymore. What happened ? I was do a booking thru telephone and had conversation with their staff. Tickets was confirm and i ask my boy to pick it up. After collected the tickets, i reliased ticket was wrongly printed and call them to upgrade the tickets from 2 child and 1 adult to 2 adult and 1 child. Just to upgrade 1 pc of ticket child ticket to a Adult ticket they ask me to buy another adult ticket since they can’t do anything with the wrongly print ticket. What the heck ? the seat was there and just want to pay more to them to convert the ticket to adult ? asked management contact number but they refused to give. It’s very bad system applied even Air Asia can be changed with additional cost. What do they think if they are a consumer ? The staff ? got 2 type.. one is rude but another one is good and willing to help. But end up with ask me to write a letter. It’s ok.. I will write a letter to them, newspaper and “Tribunal Tuntutan Pengguna Malaysia”. Adios
I was just reading the comments made by customers abt being pissed off that they can’t change their tickets when they’re late for their departure (or due to some other reason).
I would like to see the same customers doing the same to airlines who for starters, charge a much higher fee, and I’m sure will not tolerate such nonsense. Now all you are paying is a measley $30+ and you’re demanding this and that…pls, just because certain operators practise that do not mean that you are rightfully entitled the royal treatment everywhere.
With First Coach, it really depends on your luck that day.
Timing – depends on which bus driver is handling your trip
Customer service – depends on individual staff, but there are more bad apples in First Coach than the good ones. There have been times when they will act like you are disturbing their private time whenever you ask them a question.
Information – completely shit. The phones keep on ringing, and most times when picked up, the staff sounds unhappy with your call and gives a bored tone that escalates to disguised rudeness when you ask more than two questions. And, the website is not operational. It’s more of a signboard with a picture of a bus and their phone number, which brings you back to the phone method of trying to get information.
Of course, the website says “Page Under Construction”, but you can forget about trying it again in another month or two. THE WEBSITE HAS BEEN IN CONSTRUCTION FOR MORE THAN TWO YEARS, HA HA. I spoke to the manager before and she said, “Our corporate side has not decided whether to develop the website yet.”
I guess they have to ensure that some of their front counter morons do not lose their jobs, no matter how rude or unprofessional they are. It’s nearing the year 2010, but we still have to rely on a human being to sit there and answer the phone in order to read off a list of departure times to you, and manually check to see if buses are available on your travel date.
Truly the First Coach – the first coach of the last century!!
Airebus is really helpful and friendly.
They will call you to ask you where you are if all the passengers have already arrived and you are still doing last minute shopping.
Food on board is excellent.
Would recommend the Royal Seats as they are very comfortable for me.
I weigh 130 kilos. And my size fits perfectly in their seats.
6 Thumbs Up!
I generally think that u guys are acting too ‘royalty’ like over first coach. well wat u pay is wat u get people. First coach charges rm110 for a round trip while Aeroline charges rm160 for a round trip. U times that by the amount of passengers in a bus and the amount of busses. Then u will noe why there is such a big difference in customer service.
Ur paying rm110 but u expect to get rm160 service? Cut them some slack. I think were being overly critical. Best way is to buy the ticket from the front counter. Yes they are abit arrogant and stuffs. But dun go around acting like royalty ppl! cmon!
don’t forget headphones. the personal entertainment sys is awsome.
the buses are comfortable and the drivers r professional.
what the reader said about the reservation sys is correct. not always full so u can take a chance.
happy service.
Any improvements in FirstCoach?
After exactly 1 year discussing about this?
Today , I was about to book just now for 23 August 2008 . So I mentioned my client name.I requested the name to be typed in full. However , the lady arrogantly keep asked for a phone number with a rude voice..I asked her 3 times to type the name in full.And she kept repeating her word for the sake of being ego.
To avoid logistic problem, Full Name is very important when dealing with any transportation company.Especially client’s name.
I chosed because Bangsar is near my client’s place. I am the first customer for this coach and already have a bad impression on the coach.
I suggest that these staffs need to be trained well which otherwise the manager who responsible for the staffs not qualified to work in this organisation.
I suggest if you want to make a booking , asked for their name first to avoid any ego and arrogant attitude.
Dear Sir/ Madam
I am a frequent passenger of First coach and I have experienced bad front desk service usually at your Novena Branch: -
1. Your counter-ticketing lady (whom with a spectacle) is always showing a sour black face every times I enquiry about the bus ticket, it seems that she is not happy with passenger to purchase ticket from her.
2.She always chat happily with her colleagues while serving her customer, reluctant to attend to my enquiry.
In short, purchase a bus ticket from your NOVENA BRANCH is a very unpleasant experience and always made me feel bad.
I hope my comment can be a testimony for your bus service.
Yet again, 1st Coach has the worst service.
*The last time I took the bus, the driver was not willing to help a pregnant lady put her luggage into the lower compartment, kept asking her to move it in further while he was taking his smoke (faggad)
*This time, they cancelled my tickets when they clearly told me to collect my tickets within 1 week which I did. And the reply?
Dan: Hi I would like to collect my ticket for Sat 9.30am. Its under Mr. Dan
type….type…type
Stupid malay 1st Coach guy: Number.
Dan: 016-XXXXXXX
type…type…type
Stupid malay 1st Coach guy: No ticket.
Dan: How come?
Stupid malay 1st Coach guy: Must collect 1 week.
Dan: But the gal on the phone clearly told me to collect within one week from the day I called!!
Stupid malay 1st Coach guy: I dunno. Must collect 1 week.
Dan: So what can I do now?
Stupid malay 1st Coach guy: 2.30pm
Stupid chinese 1st Coach lady beside “I didn’t see all this, not my problem”
I have been recommending all my Singapore friends to take this bus since I started taking it 2 years ago, now I’ll have to ask them all to switch to either Airebus or Aeroline.
And for those who always can’t get thru, don’t bother. Those people are only there at the counter at the departure times, the rest of the time? They hide in the room behind. I stay in Bangsar and pass by often to check. (crazy ya, I know)
The service has gone from good (when they started with little customers)
to lousy (when they have enough to fill)
and now degrading and arrogant (full until you want you take dun want then get lost)
Do try out Airebus or Aeroline although not as cheap as 1st Coach, not as cheapo either.
First Coach is famous for bad service, especially from the senior staff. The junior staff (I have seen them come and go) usually are very nice and helpful. The senior staff and managers are horribly arrogant, and they hate it when you ask them extra questions, or questions they just don’t like, for example : Why has your website been Under Construction for the past 3 years?
One manager in Singapore sneakily said to me, “Our website is up to top management. If they feel the site is necessary, then they will move on it. But meanwhile, our ground staff can take care of your booking needs and questions by phone.”
I said, “But I could not get in touch with your staff by phone. No one answered for days.”
“You just have to keep trying, other customers say they managed to get through.”
I said, “Other companies already have online booking.”
She said, “Yeah, anyway, we have limited seating. If you prefer internet booking, you should try another company.”
Obviously, the management just wants to make money, and won’t invest in a website. Why should they, when they still can sell tickets no matter how badly they treat customers.
They (the managers and supervisors) always try to get rid of you as quickly as possible, at the counter. Sometimes they even have the cheek to glance at each other, as though sharing a secret joke at customers who try to complain. They give you that brief ‘not-again’ or ‘not another stupid customer’ look.
Sometimes when the phones are ringing off the hook, someone there would pick up the phone and slam it down again, just to get rid of phone enquiries when they are busy with walk-in customers.
So God help you if you need to change your booking to an earlier or later date! It’s touch and go, like Russian roulette.
I have heard from students that First Coach is very arrogant because they don’t really need to do any selling. The tickets are limited so they kind of sell themselves easily and quickly. So they can’t be bothered by the Customer as an individual.
But I felt that they should at least upgrade their system so that the employees have the luxury of being civil to every reasonable customer who makes reasonable requests or enquiries..!!
First Coach is quaint and often maddening. They should be part of The Amazing Race. The contestants will enjoy the unique experience.
I was trying to find the website of First Coach to do my bookings ( as I reside in Aust), and stumbled onto this travel malaysia guide site on KL- Spore express buses. Thank goodness for that, and all the above comments. Now I know more about this bus service, I don’t think I will bother with it, especially since it hasn’t a website to do an online booking anyway.
I have used Aeroline for about 10 times, and it has always been very pleasant. My only grouse would probably be the terminal at Marina being a little akward, if one has any amount of luggage to drag all over the shopping levels. Their ‘counter staff’ are average, but top marks to their drivers and ’stewards’. And oh, perhaps a little bit expensive when booking online (having to pay admin costs on top of the fares. Can be nearly the cost of travelling on a budget airline – promo price inclusive of airport taxes-).
Have heard of Airebus. Only worry is the very busy location at MegaMall. Was told it’s a nightmare trying to access the terminal there by car, especially if it’s a weekend. Hopefully, 26th Jan (being CNY Day) will be quiet enough to do a SIN-KL with them this time. Or if not, it’s back to the air….
Once again, thank you all for the very useful comments.
I travelled on First Coach for the first time sometime last week and have to say I was impressed with the services. Prior to this I was always travelling with Aeroline and I have to say they never bother to wait for the customers if they did not show 5 mins after the actual departure time. When I boarded the bus in SG I was surprised that they actually counted the number of passengers and waited for another passenger (who’s late). Aeroline would not be bothered at all – if you are late, that’s your problem not theirs!
BTW, I hope this guy (I am enquiring about) is reading this coz I would like to get to know him. Ok … you boarded the First Coach bus on the 11th September 2008 (the 4.30pm bus) from Novena SQ and you were wearing a black T with jeans and you looked kind of tall and fair. I think you look cute. Do reply if you are him.
I have travelled with First Coach twice and found the service very good. The price is affordable and the timing is excellent. Keep it up First Coach !
I have a suggestion on the mode and collection of tickets. One of the buses has this system where we can call, make a booking and then pay via one of the local bank atms and the receipt can be used to be converted to a ticket. This would really be of help to the frequent users.
I am a frequent traveller on First Coach and so far I am very pleased with their buses. First of all the price is reasonable, the buses comfortable and the drivers are good. They dont speed which I think is very important. So far I have not encountered any unpleasantness with the staff at the counter in Bangsar although the staff at Novena square are not as good. I asked the Manager in Singapore about this and he said the staff had been trained and had been told repeatedly to be courteous. But the trouble with some people is that they listen with one ear and it goes out the other ear. I have the same problem with my staff. One problem which First Coach can improve is their phone answering which can be exasperating. I was at the counter in Bangsar and watched them at work. It was not that they refused to answer the phone. They were busy attending to customers and ignored the ringing. Maybe the management can work out a system for them. All said I will still use First Coach.
I have travelled on First Coach several times and am very satisfied with the service. The price is very reasonable, the buses comfortable and the drivers do not speed which I think is very important. As for the problem of nobody answering the phones, I found out that before the boarding times, the staff are busy attending to people checking in or enquiring for last minute seats. So I use my common sense and do not call half an hour before the boarding times and 10 mins later. No problem at all. But maybe First coach can work out a system whereby phones must be answered even during busy times. Still, I will continue to use First Coach.
Dear Owner of First Coach,
May you kindly try calling your office line and see whether you can can get through ….
Just wondering why there isn’t any follow-up on complaints already raised ? It is very unpleasant just trying to call your office line here in Singapore.
Hope something can be done …. and soon!
Dear Management and Staff of First coach,
My wife and myself have been travelling SG – KL coach trips average 4 to 5 times for year 2008. We do use other coaches like Luxury Tours, Transstar, Aeroline, Five Stars Konsortium and many others. Just last week, we chose to travel by using First Coach for a change and always conduct our own personal service standard audit.
Congrats !!! We are very impressed and find that all staff for both sides had improve
and shown positive customer relationship, even at an extreme difficult situations.
We have been recomended through word of mouths advertisement. Be assured, we will continue to do so because – First Coach is First Impression with Lasting Experience.
Shabash dan tahniah bagi tahun 2009 … Singapore TAHU … Malaysia BOLEH !
They really have to change their booking policy to keep their customers interested in them. As it is impossible to get their tickets for Friday evenings and Sunday late afternoons for trips between KL and Singapore, some customers like me will not bother trying them anymore and will eventually forget about them in time to come.
This is exactly what happened to Nice coaches from KTM. I have actually forgotten that they existed until I saw their signboard again. They too have very unfriendly staff (and still are when I visited them last week) and will not answer the phone as well. They used to have a tendency to not run on schedule whereby they used to combine two groups of passengers on two different time slots into one (ie, the earlier departure time will be delayed and the later departure will have a fuller load). From all these bad experiences, I believe customers will just forget about them.
I returned from Singapore on Monday, 23rd February 2009 at 8 am by First Coach. Talked to the supervisor, Linda on Monday, 23rd February and Wednesday, 25th February 2009 regarding my problem with the ticketing conductor, May. The Manager of First Coach Singapore is supposed to ring me but till todate, I have not heard from the Manager. Would appreciate if I could get the email address of the Manager, First Coach Singapore to submit my letter of complaint regarding my travel on Monday, 23rd February, Seat No.16.
I called 1st time and manage to book the date and time that i want.. next week i travel..
Dear sir,
The first corch bus to singapore gives us a very good service. I am very happy with the service. I take your service everytime.
There was NO RULE stated on the issued ticket that amendment must be made 48 hours before departure date. There is a rule that however states: Ticket is not valid after the expiry date printed.
I was late for 10 min due to half hour delay at KTM for the bus departing at 1130 am on 29-May-09 at Bangsar. I had called 15 min for 2-3 times (only picked up my call the 3rd time) prior to departure to ask the staff to kindly wait for me and the female staff replied that the maximum waiting time is only 5 min.
When I reached first coach office, the staff pointed to a printed regulation displayed beside their computers regarding amendment can only be made at least 48 hours before departure. I tried to ask to get an empty seat departing at 1230 pm using my original ticket, the staff refused and insisted on buying another ticket, explaining that their computer system will not accept a past departure time.
However, I already did not have enough money to buy a second ticket priced at RM45 then. I did not get the ticket though. The expiry date on my original ticket is 28 Jun 09. There is really no point in having the expiry date at all on the ticket.
I do not expect any superficial or any sort of explanation from first coach. I had taken their service for the past 3 times on a regular basis, hence I could possibly continue taking their coach. However, from their inflexibility in handling my case on 29-May-09, I have decided not to take their service anymore and stop recommending them to people I know.
Just an added information. Firstcoach now has a new terminal office in Holiday Villa, Subang Jaya. Their contact number is 03-5621 2211. Their bus route runs from Holiday villa(Subang Jaya) to Singapore The Plaza (on beach rd). Very easy to call them and their counter staff r excellent.
I booked a Firstcoach bus ticket from Holiday Villa, Subang Jaya to The Plaza, Singapore for my brother few days ago, feedback from him : (1) The journey was not bad, the Malay driver (was having puasa) did a good job (2) bus was on time eventhough there were only four passengers and the seat was very comfortable (3) free news paper and snack with a bottle of mineral water, value for money. Syabas ! First Coach, keep it up . Last but not least, counter service was not bad also.
I just like to travel with First Coach. Excellent service, price and good driver which is very important. First Coach forever…
One more things to add. For those who had bad experience with First Coach, sorry to say that you were unlucky to have their excellent service like what I do. Hopefully these peoples are enjoying the good service from other coach company. Or else can always have your OWN COACH COMPANY then you won’t have anymore complain of others.