IPOH, June 17 — Bus and train tickets for next week’s Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations are selling out fast ahead of the balik kampung exodus.
Tickets from Ipoh to the East Coast are running out while seats for other destinations are still available.
However, they are expected to be snapped up as Raya draws closer.
“Buses to Sungai Petani and Alor Star for June 23 and 24 are sold out but we still have tickets for towns in the south,” said Selat Express ticketing staff Azieman Khosin.
“We have tickets for Seremban, Melaka and Johor Baru. But we expect the usual last-minute rush to get tickets as Raya draws nearer.”
An Express Kesatuan ticketing operator, who wanted to be known as Chia, said tickets to Kuala Terengganu had sold out.
“We have a significant number of tickets left for other destinations. If they run out, we will mobilise extra buses depending on demand,” she said.
“Nowadays, people take their time to buy bus tickets because they try to get seats on train first.”
Chia said the extended routes of the Electric Train Services (ETS) have not affected sales of bus tickets.
Checks at the Ipoh railway station’s ticketing counters found the north-bound Ipoh-Padang Besar ETS service was fully booked from June 21 to 26 — with the exception of the 1pm service on June 26.
Similarly, most of the trains on the Ipoh-Butterworth route are booked during the same period.
Train services from Padang Besar to Ipoh are fully booked on June 23, 27, 28 and 29, when travellers are expected to return from their Raya break.
A train ticketing officer, who declined to be named, said most tickets for trains heading north had been snapped up a week after they were made available in late May.
