SINGAPORE - Ms Nur Ally usually drives or flies into Kuala Lumpur, but on Feb 2, she decided to make the trip via an express bus with two friends.

The bus, however, never made it to its drop-off location at Berjaya Times Square, having caught fire 20 minutes away around 1.40pm that day.

The vehicle, operated by Singapore company Cityline Global, was carrying more than 20 people and was travelling near Serdang on the North-South Expressway when passengers suddenly heard loud static noises on the speakers and smelled smoke.

"The sound was so loud, it was almost screeching. The driver then stopped at a toll stop at Sungei Besi so the passengers could have a toilet break while he checked the bus," Ms Nur, 26, told The Straits Times in a phone call from KL.

Ms Nur and her friends had alighted the bus and were waiting around when the driver noticed smoke emitting from the luggage storage compartment of the bus. Upon opening it, he discovered a fire had started.

"He immediately asked some of the passengers, who didn't want to take a break, to alight. Within five to seven minutes, the fire gradually spread, and the bus was up in flames. It was so scary watching the thick black smoke billowing into the sky," the educator said.

She added that she heard loud popping sounds when the tyres burst and the windows shattered.

Chinese-language news outlet Shin Min Daily News reported that the Serdang Fire and Rescue Department dispatched seven firefighters, a fire truck and an Emergency Medical Rescue Team fire truck to the scene.

Selangor Fire and Rescue Department's assistant director Ahmad Mukhlis Mukhtar told Shin Min that nearly 90 per cent of a long-distance bus had been burned when firefighters arrived at the scene. The fire had also spread to the roof of the rest stop.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, Mr Ahmad said.

"There were 22 passengers and a driver in the bus at the time - 12 men and 11 women. Everyone escaped successfully and no one was injured," he said.

Everyone escaped the fire without injuries, but the passengers' luggage had been destroyed in the fire.

While Ms Nur did not have any valuable items in her luggage, one of her friends had a spare phone.

Ms Nur said: "Our driver was nice and assisted everyone in providing the company's contact to make claims for our damaged items. We later contacted the company and had to list down the items that were in our luggage, but there was no clear direction on when and how the compensation would be made."

A replacement bus arrived within 30 minutes, and all passengers safely reached their destination.

The Straits Times has contacted Cityline Global.

In December 2023, the company made headlines when one of its coaches heading to KL from Singapore turned turtle in the early hours after skidding off a highway and crashing into a grass patch.

There were 37 people on the bus, including four children. Three people were reported to have been injured.

Ms Nur, who made the KL trip to shop for a wedding, said she and her friends were still shaken and traumatised by the incident, but did not want to let it get in the way of their trip.

Upon reaching their destination, they immediately bought new necessities for their stay in Malaysia and are trying to move past this incident.

This is especially since they will be returning to Singapore via the same company's bus on Feb 4, as they had purchased a return trip ticket for $70.

"Accidents happen, and no one plans for it. We're just praying for a better coach trip next time round," said Ms Nur.

ALSO READ: 1 dead, 4 injured: Bus travelling from Singapore to KL crashes, bursts into flames

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.