Taking land transport is a good way to take travel slow and enjoy the surrounding scenery. For this particular route from Miri to Bandar Seri Begawan (BSB), this is the only direct way. Taking flight will mean stopover at Kota Kinabalu or even Kuala Lumpur. The quickest flights will take one from Miri to Bandar in 4 hours and 40 minutes, 2 cities that are only 167km apart. So it’s quite obvious which is the more economical and likely faster option (depending on traffic conditions).
Long distance buses depart from Pujut Bus Terminal, which is around 4km away from city centre. We took a cab direct from Miri airport to Pujut Bus Terminal at RM30, as compared to RM25 from Miri airport to city centre. Notice the stand-alone ticket booth on the right side of the photo? That’s where the booth where you can enquire about buses from Miri to Brunei. The other booths are selling bus tickets from Miri to Kuching, Bintulu and Sibu, to name a few.
There are 2 buses that depart Miri for Bandar Seri Begawan daily; one at 8.15am and one at 3.45pm. We took the latter. You can buy the tickets onboard the bus. According to staff, the buses are usually not filled. We travelled during Hari Raya weekend and the number of passengers for that particular trip was at a low 12. We each had the luxury to choose a row of seat for ourselves. However, if you wish to secure your seat, you can book your tickets via Easybook prior to travel. The bus fare cost RM50 per person.
If you reach the bus terminal early, you can shop for fresh fruits (think Sarawak pineapples) at the market next to the bus terminal or have a cup of coffee at the few stalls there. We did both since we had plenty of time.
The bus we took, though road-worthy, must have been in service for some years judging by the interior condition. The vehicle is a standard bus with luxury seats and air-conditioning. No other frills such as on-board restroom, on-board entertainment or wifi. The air-conditioning worked fine but only at keeping the temperature slightly cooler than the ambient. It will be good to clear your bladder before starting the journey as we did not make any stop along the way, save clearing immigrations. Choose a seat on the left upon boarding the bus if you do not wish to be affected by the afternoon sun.
The bus departed the terminal punctually. We reached Sungei Tujoh checkpoint around 45 minutes into our journey and got off the bus twice for immigration clearance. The waiting time on the Bruneian side was longer. They only had a single queue lane, which is quite telling on the number of coach passengers arriving in Brunei via this means of transport.
The 4-hour bus journey was largely uneventful, with the exception of excitement I always felt being in a new country. Yes, I had a rush of excitement as I saw this welcome sign when we crossed the border into Brunei.
Throughout the journey, the bus was mainly travelling in single- or double-lane roads stopping at traffic junctions every now and then. Only a short stretch towards the end when we were nearing BSB were we travelling on an expressway. Scenery along the way was, for most parts, undeveloped land overgrown with vegetation. Staring out of the window must have lulled the bus load of people to sleep since the driver did not bother to turn on the lights even as night fell.
We reached BSB at around 7.15pm, with passengers alighting along the way as we headed to the final stop at Waterfront (photo below taken on next day), where we finally alighted.
This may not be the most comfortable of bus rides. But what mattered was we got to our destination in the most time and cost efficient way.
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Read about our trip to Mulu and our itinerary in Borneo – Mulu / Brunei Itinerary 2018 .
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