Hope you have a Nice time here!

10 Mar 2009

I nearly missed my class today.

Woke up early in the morning as I supposely took the earliest Plusliner bus, 7.30am, back to Penang after few days at home. Took 6am's KTM to old KL station, as I never took a Plusliner bus back to Penang before. I was afraid I'll 'lost' while searching the place for the bus to take off, thus went there early. Turn out the place is just in front of the building. So lepaking there before reaching the time to take off. 7.25 am...there was no sign of any Plusliner bus. Went in to the Plusliner/Nice's ticketing counter to ask around. Turn out that the 7.30am bus had been postponed to 9am! Wah! How am I managed to attend the 2pm class?! I've planned that by taking 7.30am's bus, I'll reach Penang at 12.30 noon, and then I can walked slowly to the class. Now I'm stuck at the station. Though there are a lounge for the waiting passengers, I still feel uncomfortable. I wanna sleep!! And I really fall asleep while waiting! At 9am, finally the bus to Penang was there. It's the Nice, not Plusliner!! I guess it's a compensation for people like me (I'm not the only one). I was overjoyed because I actually wanna try to take this bus, at least once during my times studying in USM. Many people had said that if possible, try once on Nice bus. It's very NICE. Thus, I was happy to see the bus. The difference between these two busses is that Plusliner have 2+2 seats, while Nice have 2+1 seats, and with food given. But the price of the ticket for Nice is much more expensive, around RM 50++ whereas Plusliner is only RM35.
Anyway, the feeling of the first step that I took to climb up the bus was this, Comfortable. I really had that feeling. Maybe it's because of the decoration and the colour of the seat. It's not like normal bus which uses dark colour for its seats. It uses a lighter colour. You too can feel that the whole bus is neat, clean and beautiful, though it might be an old bus. I was seated at the last row, with two others who share the same 'fate' as me (delayed bus). One was a lady whom I think travel quite frequently with bus to Penang to work, while the other one actually is an USM student. I guess she's a student from Management School, as she was holding an Accounting book. The lady said the delay issue is not the first time. She said whenever she took the 7.30am bus to Penang, it will be delayed. (3 times at the same time, 3 times also being delayed) I guess maybe that's a tactic of the bus company, probably there were to little passengers who bought the tickets. Hence, they make us take another time's bus. ~That's my opinion upon hearing what she said.~
As the bus moved away from the station, I waved goodbye to KL and starts the journey to the north. After 15 minutes, the hostess gave everyone a packet drink. And around 1 hour after we took off, we were given sandwiches. Half way through our journey, there was a tea/coffee for us. It seems like many food to eat! Ehheheh...but I felt a bit disturbing, as the hostess come around like 6 times, first to serve the food/drink, then come to collect the leftover. I said so because normally in the 'normal bus', we don't have people walk up and down and serve you. You can sleep almost the whole journey but no one to disturb you. Though the hostess does not physically disturb the passenger, like wake you up to ask whether you want tea or coffee, it's still a disturbance when she took out the foldover's table to put the food.
It was not so bumpy or bouncy to sit at the back of the bus. Maybe it's because the bus is in good condition. And it was not hot to sit near the engine. Once, I was seated near the last row of the bus in a bus, I was 'overheated' by the bus's engine. That time, I sweat a lot. But in this Nice bus, I don't have that problem. I also feel that this bus is much more powerful than the other bus that I've journeyed before. I think it moved quite fast compared to other busses. It only took us 4.30 hours, sharp, to reach Sg. Nibong. The lady beside me confirm this. She said:"Oh, you got 2pm's class? Sure you'll make it 'coz the journey is only 4.30 hours. By 1.30pm you'll reach the terminal." I think punctuality is one of the bus company's motto, as Plusliner is also the same. And I think the officers working in the company are also down to earth and really stay closed to their clients. I saw a higher management's staff, with his necktie on, went to check the bus upon the arriving of the bus at the KL station. He check the air-conditioner in every seats. And he guided us to our seat. And the lady who checks our tickets in the driver seat, help an old lady to climb up the bus. I can see that at first she just look at the old lady who is trying to climb up the bus. But seeing the old lady can't afford to do so by her own, she got up and lend in her hand. Overall, I think the hospitality that I got from this bus company is quite good. I guess I can spread out the words!
Last but not least, I appreciate my younger brother's companion while waiting for the bus. He had waited from the momment we arrived until I get into the bus!

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