BAS.MY Pink Bus KK (Bas Pink): Routes, Timetable & Fares 2026

Kota Kinabalu finally has a proper city bus service. BAS.MY — locally nicknamed the "pink bus" — launched full paid operations on 1 April 2026 with two routes, and the network has expanded quickly since: the operator now lists all eight routes as active, including two that serve Kota Kinabalu International Airport. It's air-conditioned, runs on a fixed timetable, and costs RM30 for 30 days of unlimited rides if you are a Malaysian citizen aged 18–59.

What routes does BAS.MY cover in KK?

BAS.MY KK operates 8 routes covering around 140 bus stops across the city and its suburbs. The operator lists all eight routes (S01–S08), each with its own published operating hours and frequency, and Sabah LPKP has confirmed all eight are in service (The Star, checked 7 October 2026). Between them they cover the city centre, KKIA airport, Likas, Luyang, Damai, Sembulan, Kepayan, Sepanggar, Menggatal and 1 Borneo. Every route is a loop: S03 and S04 start and finish at Terminal Manggatal, and all six others at KK Sentral. The table below lists the areas each one passes through in between.

S03 and S04 run the Manggatal–Sepanggar loop in opposite directions, so check which one gets you there faster — the difference can be twenty minutes or more. S01 and S02 both pass UMS and 1 Borneo but take different roads through the city, so check the stop list for the one you need.

The route summaries above are drawn from the operator's own published stop lists, which run from 20 stops on S08 to 49 on S03 — around 140 distinct stops once the pairs on opposite sides of the same road are counted once. Note that some third-party listings still describe the older route patterns; where they differ, we follow the operator.

Getting to and from the airport

Two routes serve Kota Kinabalu International Airport, and they are not interchangeable. Both S07 and S08 stop at KKIA every 15 minutes, but because every BAS.MY route is a one-way loop, the right one depends entirely on which direction you are travelling.

• Going to the airport: take S07 ✈ from KK Sentral. It reaches KKIA in 8 stops. S08 also gets there, but takes 14.
• Coming from the airport: take S08 ✈. It reaches KK Sentral in 5 stops. S07 covers the same trip in 13, because you would be riding most of the way round its loop.

If your hotel is near the waterfront, S08 is better still — from KKIA it reaches Sutera Harbour in 3 stops and Imago in 4, without changing buses. For Centre Point or the Segama area, ride S08 to KK Sentral and change there.

Operating hours are 5:45am to 10:45pm on S07 and 5:50am to 10:50pm on S08. Those are departure times from the start of each route, so a late-evening flight is the one case where the bus is a gamble — take a Grab or a metered taxi instead. The same goes for heavy luggage: these are city buses, not airport coaches, and there are no dedicated bag racks.

How much does BAS.MY cost?

BAS.MY KK is one of the most affordable public transport options in Malaysia. The headline deal is the Kad 30 Hari — RM30 for 30 days of unlimited travel across every route. That price was cut from RM50 to RM30 by the Ministry of Transport on 3 November 2025 (Bernama, checked 7 October 2026), so older guides (and some signage) may still quote the higher figure.

A one-time card fee of RM10 applies when you collect a Kad Konsesi, and registration itself is free (Jaguh Bayu, checked 7 October 2026). Travel on the card is free. The same eligibility rules (students 7 to 17, IPT students, seniors 60+ and JKM-registered OKU) and the free travel for children under 7 are on the BAS.MY fares page.

KK rules differ from the national page. The 18 to 59 age limit on the Kad 30 Hari, the RM0.80 starting fare and the cashless rule all come from the KK operator, Jaguh Bayu (checked 7 October 2026). The national BAS.MY fares page (checked 7 October 2026) gives no age limit, accepts cash and quotes the Peninsular Malaysia per-kilometre fare scale. Where the two differ, this page follows the KK operator.

Per-ride fares depend on distance. The operator's fare table runs from RM0.80 for a short adult trip up to RM4.60 for the longest (S04), with child, senior and OKU fares at half the adult rate. The longest adult fare differs by route: RM3.90 on S01, RM4.00 on S02, RM4.50 on S03, RM4.60 on S04, RM2.40 on S05, RM2.80 on S06 and RM2.70 on S07 and S08. KK Sentral to KKIA costs RM1.40 on S07 and RM2.00 on S08 (Jaguh Bayu fare table, checked 23 October 2026). Use the stop-to-stop fare checker on the operator's site for your exact trip.

For daily commuters, the Kad 30 Hari works out to RM1.00 per day for unlimited city-wide travel, usually less than a single Grab trip within KK.

Schedule, timetable & operating hours

BAS.MY KK runs on a fixed daily timetable (The Star, checked 7 October 2026). First departures are between 5:30am and 6:05am depending on the route.

Last departures vary by route, and this catches people out. Only S05 and S06 run to about 11pm. S01 finishes at 10:18pm, S02 at 10:23pm, S07 at 10:45pm and S08 at 10:50pm — so if you are relying on a "runs until 11" rule of thumb, you may be standing at a stop long after the last bus has gone. The chart below shows every route side by side.

Frequency is every 15 minutes on S05–S08, 18 minutes on S01 and S02, and 22 minutes on S03 and S04 (Jaguh Bayu, checked 7 October 2026). Buses depart on schedule regardless of how full they are — a real change from the old KK minibuses that waited until packed. For live schedules and real-time arrivals, use the LUGO app or the operator's route pages.

How do you pay for BAS.MY in KK?

BAS.MY Kota Kinabalu is cashless: the operator lists ManjaLink, Kad Konsesi, Visa or Mastercard debit and credit cards, and DuitNow QR (Jaguh Bayu, checked 7 October 2026). You do not need to buy anything in advance:

• Contactless Visa or Mastercard — tap your ordinary bank card on boarding. Easiest option for visitors.
• DuitNow QR — scan to pay.
• ManjaLink card — the contactless smart card also used on BAS.MY routes in Johor Bahru and Melaka. Sold at the BAS.MY counter at KK Sentral. Top up via the ManjaLink website or the LUGO app.
• LUGO app — holds your Kad 30 Hari or Kad Konsesi as a digital pass. Scan the QR code when boarding and again when alighting.

To get the Kad 30 Hari (RM30, Malaysian citizens aged 18 to 59), bring your MyKad or MyTentera to the BAS.MY counter at KK Sentral, or apply in the LUGO app under "Pas Transit". Kad Konsesi for seniors, students and OKU works the same way — bring your MyKad, student card or JKM OKU card, with a one-time RM10 card fee. In-app applications are reviewed manually, usually within 24 hours.

Should you use BAS.MY as a tourist in KK?

BAS.MY became far more useful to visitors once the airport routes opened and the network reached all eight lines. Here's an honest breakdown:

Grab is still the more flexible option in KK, especially late at night, with luggage, or for anywhere the eight routes don't reach. But the gap has narrowed sharply: a bus ride starting at RM0.80 is far cheaper than a Grab, and the airport link alone changes the calculation for anyone travelling light.

Frequently asked questions

What is BAS.MY — the Pink Bus?

BAS.MY is Malaysia's national Stage Bus Service Transformation (SBST) programme — a federally-funded initiative to modernise public bus networks in secondary cities across the country. The KK service runs under this programme, operated by Jaguh Bayu Sdn Bhd, a Sabah-based transport company. The buses are wrapped in a distinctive bright pink livery, which is how locals came to call them the "pink bus."

Kota Kinabalu joins the growing BAS.MY network, which already runs in Kangar, Kota Setar, Kota Bharu, Kuala Terengganu, Ipoh, Kuantan, Seremban, Melaka, and Johor Bahru across Peninsular Malaysia, plus Kuching in Sarawak. Unlike the old minibus operators that ran on informal schedules and waited until the bus was full before moving, BAS.MY operates on a fixed timetable regardless of passenger load — a significant upgrade for KK commuters.

Who launched it and how much did it cost?

The BAS.MY KK programme was announced and championed by Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook, with the Federal Government allocating RM17.6 million per year, a total of RM88 million over five years, to fund the service in Kota Kinabalu (Bernama, checked 7 October 2026).

The service was pre-launched on 27 September 2025, with free rides planned from October 2025 until January 2026 (Bernama, checked 7 October 2026). Full paid operations launched on 1 April 2026 with two routes, S01 and S05 (Borneo Post, checked 7 October 2026). The phased roll-out then reached all eight routes, with 48 new buses deployed (The Star, checked 7 October 2026).

Local MP Datuk Chan Foong Hin (Kota Kinabalu) has been a vocal advocate for the service, urging residents to use it.

What are the buses like inside?

The BAS.MY fleet in KK consists of brand-new, air-conditioned buses purpose-built for the SBST programme. Each bus is equipped with:

• GPS tracking — real-time bus location monitoring (and eventually, live tracking for passengers)
• CCTV — cameras throughout the bus for passenger safety
• PWD accessibility — designated spaces and boarding facilities for wheelchair users and elderly passengers
• Fixed timetable operation — buses depart on schedule regardless of how full they are (a major departure from old KK buses that waited until packed)

The bright pink exterior livery is consistent across all 48 buses, making them instantly recognisable on the road.

What has the public reaction been?

The response has been a tale of two sentiments: optimism about the service itself, and frustration at how few people know it exists.

In April 2026, Kota Kinabalu MP Datuk Chan Foong Hin publicly called out the low public awareness around BAS.MY, urging residents to take up the service (Borneo Post, checked 7 October 2026). Many KK residents simply don't know the pink bus runs, which routes it covers, or that it's free for students and seniors.

Those who have ridden it tend to give positive feedback on the air-conditioning, cleanliness, and punctuality compared to the old informal minibus system. The coverage complaint has largely been answered now that all eight routes run, so the remaining gripes are mostly about frequency during off-peak hours and how little the service is advertised.

Now that KK's full eight-route network is running, its long-term success depends less on rollout speed and more on whether awareness catches up before the ridership numbers are judged.

Ringkasan dalam Bahasa Malaysia

BAS.MY (bas pink) ialah perkhidmatan bas bandar di Kota Kinabalu yang dilancarkan secara rasmi pada 1 April 2026. Kesemua lapan laluan (S01 hingga S08) kini beroperasi, termasuk dua laluan ke Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Kota Kinabalu (KKIA) iaitu S07 dan S08. Jadual bas pink bermula seawal 5:30 pagi, dengan perjalanan terakhir antara 10:18 malam hingga 11:05 malam bergantung pada laluan.

Tambang bas pink ialah RM30 untuk 30 hari untuk Kad 30 Hari (tumpangan tanpa had, khusus untuk warganegara Malaysia berumur 18 hingga 59 tahun; harga diturunkan daripada RM50 pada November 2025). Bagi tambang sehala, tambang dewasa bermula RM0.80 mengikut jarak (semak jadual tambang di laman web pengendali). Warga emas, pelajar dan OKU boleh menumpang secara percuma dengan Kad Konsesi (yuran kad sekali sahaja RM10), manakala kanak-kanak bawah 7 tahun percuma. Perkhidmatan ini tanpa tunai: bayar dengan kad debit/kredit tanpa sentuh, kod QR DuitNow, kad ManjaLink atau aplikasi LUGO.

Last verified: 7 October 2026 (route stop order and fares re-checked 23 October 2026). The KK network expanded quickly through 2026 and fares changed nationally in November 2025, so treat any older guide with caution — check Jaguh Bayu or bas.my for the latest routes and fares before travelling.

SabahGuide compiles publicly available information in our own words and credits the sources above. We verify before publishing, but always confirm time-sensitive details with the official provider before you rely on them.