I recently took the ferry from Penang Island to the Mainland. It has been a while since I last took the ferry, but with the traffic jam on the Penang Bridge (triggered by the Penang Bridge maintenance work starting from 22 August 2017), I decided to take the ferry on Wednesday, 23 August 2017.
I reached the Raja Tun Uda Ferry Terminal at about 11AM, and waited in line for about 10 minutes before getting into the ferry. The waiting time was shorter than I expected, but 11AM is within the non-peak hours.
The ferry I boarded was named Pulau Kapas. Once all the cars and motorcycles were parked in the ferry, I got out from the car and walked around. The motorcycles were lined behind the cars. The wind from the sea was very strong, which was nice. Here are some pictures I took from inside the ferry:
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Penang Ferry – Blue
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View Of Weld Quay From Ferry
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View Of North Butterworth Container Terminal From Ferry
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View Of Penang Bridge From Ferry
After about 15 minutes, the ferry reached the Sultan Abdul Halim Ferry Terminal on Mainland Penang. The entire journey was very relaxing; better than being stuck in the traffic jam caused by the Penang Bridge maintenance work. Based on the experience, the ferry service from Penang to the Mainland is definitely a viable option during non-peak hours (I believe it is a long wait during peak hours though).
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