My 9 Hours Bus Journey From Kuching to Sibu

It has been more than a decade since I took any bus express bus service in Sarawak. Due to my unexpected mandatory quarantine came to an abrupt end after the recent change in entry requirement, I had decided to go back Sibu earlier. Options are limited as flight was not available every day and air ticket price can be insanely expensive.

Buying bus ticket can be done online now. Ticket to Sibu cost RM48 after 20% discount. I chose Bus Asia (previously known as Biaramas) because they seem to have the most frequency of the day.

My journey started from Kuching Sentral. This is my first time here and it ain't big as I initially thought. For those who are familiar with Bandar Tasik Selatan Bus Terminal, navigating Kuching Sentral would be a breeze.

As the pandemic keep raging at the state, the bus schedule is rather dynamic and many schedule trips were cancelled.

I got to take a double decker bus. An operator will check for police permit before we were allowed to go onboard.

The bus will not be seated to full capacity and there will be proper distancing between passengers. This bus has a spacious seat and what appear to be built in with its own entertainment system. Unfortunately, the entertainment system was just there for show.

As the bus air conditioning system is not installed with HEPA filter like aircraft, I decided to keep myself safe with a respirator after assessing the risk.

The bus departed on time at 1000 and make a quick stop at their depot before continue for the first stop at their cargo collection point in Serian (1118).

I would thought this will be the only stop in Serian but I was wrong. After collecting some cargos, the bus then proceed to the nearby bus station.

After Serian, the bus will stop at Sri Aman (1340), which is about the middle point of the journey. I am glad to see Fort Alice has been restored as a museum now and no longer in the dilapidated state during my last visit here.

Sri Aman bus terminal is situated in what appears to be a new commercial area and share the same building with the Pasar Tamu. This would be a perfect place for a toilet break and they charge RM0.20 per entry.

From here on, I would thought the bus will then head straight to Sarikei but it made another stop at Jelukong bus terminal (1445)  where the bus drivers usually have their meal. This will be an ideal place for passengers to buy refreshment or snack.

The Pan Borneo Highway remained unfinished after all these years. The bus journey was somewhat reasonably comfortable even with this unfinished project.

Sarikei will be the last stop (1745) before the bus heading to Sibu. 

I finally arrived Sibu Bus Terminal at 1900, after hitting the road for 9 hours. Initially, I estimated a 7 hours journey and I didn't expect it would took so long. This could be attributed to the many stops on the way while the bus limits its maximum speed at 80 km/hr.

Even though this was a long journey, I get to see the transformation of the small towns along the way.

Sarawak Bus Express, Sibu-Miri-Sibu

I went to Miri last month to attend "Maintenance Management Course" by Lloyd's Register and I decided to take a bus to Miri since my last trip and my last bus ride to Miri was in 2002.

Bus ticket from Sibu to Miri cost RM40. I chose MTC Express as I was satisfied with their bus before. The bus seats are spacious as it has 3 seats in one row (as oppose to 4 seats in a row in most express busses here). The air condition on this bus was really cold and I was shivering as I did not put on enough clothes.

The bus will make its first stop at Selangau, about 1 hour journey from Sibu. MTC express stopped at Restoran Impian Selangau for about 15 minutes. There is a mini market and restaurant inside. Outside the restaurant are some traders selling local fruits.

The second stop of the journey is at Bintulu town bus station. Bintulu is about 3 and half hour journey by bus from Sibu. The bus station is small and the toilet is filthy (RM 0.20 admission fee). The bus will make a 30 minutes stop here.

The third and final stop is at Batu Niah. I almost can't recognize the place as this place had been develop so much since my last visit here. Batu Niah is a small town and the gateway to Niah Cave. MTC Express stopped at Ngu Garden Food Park. The toilet here is huge and clean. Admission is free. A wide variety of food is sold at this food court

Adjacent to the food court is a huge supermarket and i suspect it belongs to the same owner of the food court. There are taxis and vans here for those who intend to go to Niah Cave which is not far from here.

After 7 hours journey from Sibu, I finally arrived at Miri City bus station at Padang Kerbau (Buffalo Field). The bus station haven't change a bit since my last visit. Taxis are plenty here and a ride to the city centre will cost RM15

I spotted a Biaramas bus express with their new bus. This company started to phased out their old busses.

Anyway, for my return trip to Sibu, I had opt for Suria bus express (operated by Vital Focus Group).

Busses by Vital Focus Group is not my preferred choice but they had the most frequent buses plying between cities and towns in Sarawak.

Suria bus is still badly maintained as with my last ride with them in 2007. Note the torn cover on my seat.


The bus suspension also need an overhaul as one can hear the squeaking noise (as well as the bumpy ride) of the absorbers along the journey as shown in this video.

The air condition was also not cold enough and I was virtually sweating by afternoon. I even over heard a few passengers saying that they will not take Suria bus again in the future.

Suria bus stopped in Batu Niah (after about 90 minutes ride from Miri) at Batu Niah Food Court Centre for 15 minutes. Admission fee to the toilet here is RM 0.20. There are less variety of food here compare to Ngu Garden Food Park.

There are more than meet the eyes here........


Inside the food court is what I called an exotic exhibit. There are snakes, iguana and many more

This is what they call "Dragon Turtle". I never seen anything like this. Observe the nails, tails and the shell. Simply out of this world! I think most people believe this rare creature will bring them good luck and hence donations had been made for charity as can be seen from the posted receipt here.

Tuntung another rare species from the turtle family. Again people throwing coins into the pool for luck.

Then there is this white snake with the nickname "White King". Again some believers worship this snake. Note the donations and offering pouring continuously.

The bus make a stop in Selangau at Simon Coffee shop before arriving Sibu

With that I had travel by bus from Kuching to Miri, or should I say the whole Sarawak. I had previously wrote about my bus experience from Kuching to Sibu here.

Sarawak bus express trip experience

Last August I traveled from Sibu to Kuching by using bus express. Hence, I decided to share some of the experience for other travelers out there who never take a bus express to commute between the cities and towns in Sarawak.

This is the front view of the bus station terminal in Sibu. It is located at Jalan Pahlawan, some 3km away from the town. The front portion of the terminal is basically a huge supermarket called "Everwin"

Behind this supermarket is the bus terminal.

This is how the seating areas look like at Sibu bus terminal. It is not air conditioned and can be hot in the afternoon. Chairs are plenty here.

One can purchased the bus ticket from any kioks available here. There are a lot of bus companies operating here and one need to be smart to pick the most comfortable bus. I had decide to use the bus operated by Bintang Jaya Sdn Bhd (usually I called it "Green" bus) as I had used their bus previously and satisfy with their bus.

This is how the ticket looks like. The fare from Sibu to Kuching is RM40 and the journey is approximately 7 hours

I was a bit lucky as Bintang Jaya was using their newest bus for my trip. They called it "Airbus 350". Bintang Jaya is easily recognised with the green as their primary colour

One need not worry on mistaken boarding the wrong bus. The destination and time of departure placard will be hung outside the bus. Usually the bus will depart some 10 minutes later than its stipulated time to accomodate late passengers. Why can't they just be punctual?

I am amazed with the size of Bintang Jaya's bus seat. It is bigger than their old bus. However the bigger seats resulting in a narrower aisle.

The air conditioning duct is right above the seat. It is huge and resembling those on the air craft.

All the express buses in Sarawak do not have a toilet facility onboard and the bus will make its scheduled stop some half way of the journey at Engkilili (for Sibu/Sarikei-Serian/Kuching route). The toilets here are free of charge. The bus will stop approximately 15 minutes and one can buy some food at the nearby stalls.

There will be occassionally some natives selling their crops. Some of these vegetables and fruits are rare and can't be found at the urban market.

This is how the "highway" looks like from Engkilili

This is the bus station terminal at Kuching at Mile 4. A taxi fare from Kuching City to here will cost around RM20

The seats are rather limited if compared to the Sibu station terminal

For my return trip, I had opt for Biaramas bus as I notice the Company had starting phasing their old buses with new ones. Luck was not on my side as I didn't have the opportunity to use their new bus (Their new buses are painted red).


However, the interior of Biaramas old bus still manage to impress me with its spacious seat. For some reason, the seats are built to be reclined, probably to assist the passengers to get a good sleep onboard.

Overall, a thumb up for buses run by Bintang Jaya and Biaramas