Hey there! AJ here. We wanted to include one thing from the Penang trip that was crucial to anyone who wanted to get around the island whenever they wanted to in their own free time, because that's exactly what we did in a very tight schedule. Don't get us wrong though, Pulau Penang has a fairly regular public transport system and you can also use the Grab app to book car rides to the destinations. There's bus stops all around the island, but here's the thing, do you really have the time to learn all the stops and timings when you only have the weekend ? thought so.
Here is our solution: rent a motorbike!
So here is the first prerequisite :
you MUST have a drivers license. A motorcycle license that is. Places that lease motorbikes will always ask you for one. And seeing how only two people can be on a motorbike on the same time, and if your group is a little odd numbered with lesser license owners to backseat's ratio.... Oops.... better put in some thought before planning a trip dependent on motorbikes.
Second prerequisite :
You must be willing to wear helmets while riding the motorbike. Its common sense right? In actuality there are laws in Malaysia that require riders and passengers to be wearing helmets. Here is the EXACT excerpt we found in the Malaysia Road transport Act : "to require persons driving or being carried on motorcycles to wear protective helmets". So there you have it. Fear not! every place that rent motorbikes will have helmets provided for the renters. Be warned though, they are not in the best shape. Old, dirty and banged up helmets are all part of the process, unless you want to risk getting stopped by the police for not wearing one, or better yet it will still PROTECT your head.
Now, we knew when we came to Penang's George town, it was a fairly small area in contrast to Kuala Lumpur's cities, so getting Grab cars wouldn't be that expensive right? its easier to just sit in a car while someone takes you to your destination eh? All true, riding around Penang is not for the faint hearted, but there are two reason we suggest this way.
Reason 1:
It saves TIME! Just like KL, Penang has it owns rush hours where traffic can build up pretty fast and you could be stuck in a jam around some areas for about 15+ minutes. But not if your are in a motorbike! You can ride past blocks of cars in a jam when you're on a motorbike. There is enough space on the sides of the lanes for motorbikes to just pass through in a decent speed without having to stop in line like the cars. The only places where motorbikes have to come to a complete halt are the traffic lights themselves.
Reason 2 :
It can also save MONEY. Using grab car around the island's location usually cost us around 8-12 ringgit. Further places would definitely rack up the fare from 15 to 25 ringgit; provided it was a low fare timing. So lets do the math shall we? We went to about 7 cafe's around in the same area and lets just assume that the fare was the lowest. 7 trips that cost 8 ringgit would still cost us 56 ringgit. Now let’s talk about motorcycle rent cost. For our last trip, we rented an Auto motorbike (Honda Spacey) for 35 ringgit a day. Although to rent a bike you have to lay down a deposit with the place. We had to give 150 ringgit as a deposit. You can find some places that rent bikes for as low as 20 ringgits per day. What a steal! Generally of course, certain types of bikes would cost more. If you are looking to rent a Vespa we found that they are generally more expensive around 80 ringgit a day.
Places in Georgetown are packed in one area and walking around wouldn't be a bad idea either.
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