Public transportation around the city is well organized with modern low floor aircon buses. Main public bus terminals are at jetty and Komtar building/mall where you can get map with all lines. When boarding to bus you MUST have prepared exact change! All buses stop on their route, and if you don't mind going around the city a bit if you actually want to leave it, you have good chances of getting where you want. But if you're planning to venture out of Georgetown to the suburbs and beyond for a day's tripping, do bear in mind that the public buses stop picking up passengers after 10PM daily - apparently even on weekends and holidays. And if you need to take a taxi back to your quarters after midnight, be prepared to pay a 100% surcharge on top of the fare.
• City taxis are required to charge according to the meter effective from August 2006
To & from the airport
• Rapid Penang bus 401, 401A, 401E from the airport to Komtar and the Jetty, and vice versa) takes about 1 hr, and the buses come once every 30 min.
• Rapid Penang bus 401 also pass through southern ekspres bas terminal for connections to mainland cities. The bus fare is RM2.70. This is in contrast to the official taxi fare of RM44.50 with a journey of about 45 min from the airport to downtown Georgetown, and vice versa.
By taxi
According to the Ministry of Tourism, "City taxis are required to charge according to the meter effective from August 2006". However, as in Kuala Lumpur, many taxi drivers have no respect for the law or at least believe that foreigners have no legal rights and will frequently try to cheat foreigners. A common ruse is to refuse to use the meter or to hide it behind a piece of cloth or a rudimentary cardboard panel. If encountering a driver playing these games seek an alternative taxi.
Taxi rides within the city may cost up to RM20 if following
