Pudu Sentral Bus Terminal, Kuala Lumpur

Pudu Sentral, Kuala Lumpur (7 July, 2016)


Pudu Sentral (GPS: 3.14569, 101.70048) was once the main long-distance bus terminal on Jalan Pudu in downtown Kuala Lumpur. Formerly known as Puduraya Terminal or Hentian Puduraya, Pudu Sentral was inaugurated by Prime Minister Dato' Seri Najib Tun Razak in April 2011 following a RM52 million upgrade. Once the terminal for all long-distance buses to Kuala Lumpur, nowadays Pudu Sentral is used only for local buses, short haul bus services and stage buses.

Puduraya began to move away from its traditional role as a transportation hub in 2009, when Terminal Bersepadu Selatan became operational. It was closed from 2009 for a major facelift that cost RM52.7 million, and was reopened on 27 August, 2011, when it was renamed Pudu Sentral. But even then, Pudu Sentral never fully regained its role as the main transportation hub, and instead it was turned into an Urban Transformation Centre (UTC) - the second in the country after Malacca - to house government and government-linked agencies. The transformation of Pudu Sentral into a UTC cost RM24 million.

All long-distance buses between Kuala Lumpur and Perak, Penang, Kedah and Perlis were relocated to Terminal Bersepadu Selatan effective 1 November, 2015. Some bus companies still use Hentian Duta as the terminal for buses from the north.

Arriving at Pudu Sentral

If you take a bus from one of the northern states (Perak, Penang, Kedah, Perlis), find out whether it terminates at Pudu Sentral or Hentian Duta. Of the two, I would very much prefer taking the bus to Pudu Sentral, as it is more centrally located, and you can easily catch a connecting transport. In comparison, at Hentian Duta you are very much at the mercy of a taxi, if you don't have someone coming to fetch you.

The Plaza Rakyat LRT Station is a short walking distance from Pudu Sentral.

View of Pudu Sentral from Jalan Pudu.

View of the elevated tracks of the Light Rail Transit beside Pudu Sentral.

Going to Pudu Sentral

Pudu Sentral is located along Jalan Pudu, near the junction with Jalan Tun Perak. The nearest LRT station is the Plaza Rakyat RapidKL Station.

Pudu Sentral is on the Map of Jalan Pudu, Kuala Lumpur

About Pudu Sentral

The long-awaited facelift given to Puduraya turned it from a dingy bus terminal to one of the most modern in the region. The new Pudu Sentral has a fully air-conditioned waiting area with travelators, bubble lift and security closed circuit televion cameras.

The original Puduraya Terminal was opened in 1976 by the late prime minister Tun Hussein Onn. It was and continues to be the main terminal for long distance buses between Kuala Lumpur and all the towns and cities of the peninsula. However, over the years, it deteriorated into a squalid embarrassment, not befitting its important role. The makeover and rebranding to Pudu Sentral is expected to give road travel a boost.

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