Mini Buses

In the 1970s the fastest way to get around Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya was the mini bus. The drivers drove these buses like men possessed; weaving through the traffic, back then these manoeuvres were referred to as 'kona baring'.

Taking the mini bus home from school, I would wait at 'Bas Stand Kelang'. Being true Malaysians, we stampeded ourselves into the bus instead of forming a line like civilised people. Usually I would let everyone push each other until the bus was jam-packed. As the bus start to move, I would put one foot on the steps of the bus while hanging on to the handrail. My entire body would dangle outside. It felt like riding on a horse in a rodeo. Only half of my foot would be inside the bus. I would be hanging on to dear life about one-third of the way to Petaling Jaya.

I remember a time when my elder brother and I would wait for the mini bus to go to school at the bus stop along Jalan Semangat (now renamed Jalan Professor Khoo Kay Kim). Everyday we had to endure listening to a bunch of Chinese songs played on the cassette player. One day my brother and I decided to bring our own cassettes, and got permission from the bus driver to play our songs.

A few of the mini buses had really low rooftops. If you cannot find a seat, we had to stand in a bowing position. With all the inconveniences that came along with the mini buses, it was still very popular because it was fast and at that time the ticket price was 40 sen no matter where your destination. This was before they were all painted pink and fondly referred to as the 'pink lady'.