S'porean Stranded In M'sia At 4am After Coach To KL Drove Off Without Him After A Toilet Break

Imagine stepping off your overnight coach for a quick toilet break.  A couple of minutes later, you walk back, only to see your coach drive off into the darkness without you. And now, at 4.15am, you're stranded at a rest stop in Malaysia. 

That's exactly what Singaporean traveller Ernz, 35, claims happened during a recent overnight journey to Kuala Lumpur via a Billion Stars Express coach. 

Speaking to 8days.sg, Ernz says what started as an ordinary ride slowly snowballed into one of the most stressful travel experiences he has ever had. 

The coach had stopped midway through the journey, and Ernz, assuming it was a routine rest stop, got off to use the toilet. But when he returned, the coach was gone.

“I saw the coach bus just zoom away in the far distance, and he left without me,” he said in on IG.

Speaking to 8days.sg, Ernz says his friend, who was still on board the coach, later told him he had informed the staff that he had been left behind.

“But they didn't bother and just continued on their journey,” he added.

His friend also believed it may not have been a scheduled rest stop at all, but rather a passenger drop-off point.

As the coach disappeared into the distance, panic immediately set in. Ernz tells us he recalled trying to flag down the first passing car, but quickly realised that probably wasn't the safest thing to do.

“The car's high beams flashed briefly, and I realised I'd better stop doing that,” he said.

Luckily, he then noticed a car idling nearby. After asking the driver whether he was a Grab driver, Ernz immediately made a booking through the app.

Fortunately, the booking matched him with the same driver.

“That's when I finally felt like I wasn't stranded anymore,” he said.

While he has no idea exactly where the coach had stopped, Ernz tells us the Grab pick-up location showed up as "Pusat Servis SONY".

“The only people around were a handful of diners at a nearby eatery and the Grab driver. There was also no visible security personnel or coach company staff,” he says.

“Thank goodness I had my phone, a portable charger and my passport. With my phone, at least I could seek help,” Ernz adds.

Fortunately, his friend on the coach helped retrieve the belongings he had left on board.

Ernz also shared that his experience with the coach had already gotten off to a rocky start in Singapore. 

He had initially booked the 11pm coach departing from Tai Seng MRT to Bukit Bintang on June 19. However, he says the company contacted him and informed him that his departure time had been brought forward to 10pm within minutes, without explaining the reason for the change in timing. 

But when he rushed to the pickup point by taxi, he found out that there was no coach. Instead, he was left waiting from 10pm to 11.15pm when the bus finally arrived.

Looking back, Ernz believes things could easily have taken a darker turn when he was left stranded, and tells us that he had only taken his phone and passport because of habit.

“If you're only meant to go for a quick toilet break, you might leave everything on the coach,” he says.

What frustrated Ernz most was what happened afterwards. Or rather, what didn't happen.

Ernz tells us that he repeatedly tried contacting Billion Stars Express after the incident, but to date, there has only been radio silence, even as his Instagram video gained traction online.

Ironically, Ernz had also paid an additional S$1.20 for the company's travel insurance.

“I didn't bother claiming, since the issue was caused by them, and they didn't try to make it right at all,” he said when asked if he plans to file any claims.

The experience has also changed the way Ernz approaches overnight coach travel.

“It makes me want to do some research on the coach company beforehand,” he tells us.

8days.sg has contacted Billion Stars Express for comment, but did not receive a reply at press time.