People arriving by bus on Penang Island terminates their journey at the Sungai Nibong Bus Terminal, which is located about mid-way between the northern and southern end of Penang Island.
The cheapest method for leaving the Sungai Nibong Bus Terminal is to take the Rapid Penang local bus. There are bus stops outside the terminal along Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah (Bus 102, 303, 304, 305, 308 and 401) and Jalan Sungai Dua (Bus 303 and 305). The fare to George Town, as of February 2017, is RM1.50.
Where to eat?
If you arrive at the Sungai Nibong Bus Terminal, you can walk across Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah under the elevated highway to a Chinese coffee shop on the other side of the road where there is a variety of hawker food to choose from.
Anywhere to stay?
There are a few hotels within walking distance of the Sungai Nibong Terminal, but for better options, you should take a local bus or taxi to downtown George Town (for city hotels), or to Batu Ferringhi (for beach hotels).
Taxis at the Sungai Nibong Express Bus Terminal (22 December 2008)
Bus lanes at the Sungai Nibong Express Bus Terminal (30 April 2008)
Arriving by bus at the Penang Sentral Temporary Transport Terminal
The Penang Sentral Temporary Transport Terminal (Terminal Pengangkutan Sementara Penang Sentral) is the terminal for local and express buses in Butterworth. Located next to the Butterworth Railway Station, it is being used in the interim, until the permanent Penang Sentral Transportation Terminal is completed.
If you arrive by bus on Penang mainland, you terminate your bus journey at this terminal. From there, you can take the train, the ferry, the taxi or the Rapid Penang local buses. The fare for taking the ferry is RM1.20 for adults one way (service from George Town to Butterworth is not charged). This takes you to Weld Quay in George Town, from where you can get connections to other parts of the island (see the "Getting Around in Penang" section).
From Penang Sentral, you can take the Rapid Penang local bus to most places on Penang Mainland. The bus routes from Penang Sentral include 601, 602, 603, 604, 605, 608, 701, 702, 703, 709 and 801.
Where to eat?
There isn't much eating options within the immediate vicinity of Penang Sentral temporary terminal. The nearest food stall (in the interim period) is Kompleks Makanan Sri Bagan, next to the temporary terminal.
Where to stay?
If you are seeking accommodation in Butterworth or further away, in Bukit Mertajam, I would suggest you take a taxi from Penang Sentral.
Which terminal is best, Sungai Nibong or Penang Sentral
Well it depends on your final destination. If you are heading to locations around Penang Island, your obvious choice would be the Sungai Nibong Bus Terminal. On the other hand, if your final destination happens to be somewhere within the George Town World Heritage Site, you might find it quite convenient to use the Penang Sentral terminal, and hop onto the ferry for the final portion of your journey.
Buying your Express Bus Ticket
You may now purchase your express bus ticket to Penang (and any other city in the region) online, paying for it using credit card, Paypal or online banking, at Bus Online Ticket.
Other arrival options
If you are arriving by other means, please select arrival by plane, by car, or by train.
Private Guided Tours of Penang
If you are seeking private guided tours of Penang, message Penang Tour Guides at penangtourguides@gmail.com and enquire with them.
Buy, rent or sell properties in Penang
Do you have a property for sale or to rent out? Are you looking to buy or rent a property? Get in touch with me. WhatsApp me (Timothy Tye) at 012 429 9844, and I will assign one of my property agents to serve you. I will choose the agent for you, according to your property needs. So when you message me, provide me some details of what you need, whether to sell, to buy, to rent or to rent out, and what type of property, is it condo, apartment, house, shop, office or land.
Looking for information on Penang? Use this Map of Roads in Penang to zoom in on information about Penang, brought to you road by road.
About this website
Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.
While I try my best to provide you information as accurate as I can get it to be, I do apologize for any errors and for outdated information which I am unaware. Nevertheless, I hope that what I have described here will be useful to you.