STARTING tomorrow, commuters heading up to Kuala Lumpur may not need to leave home to catch their coach up to the Malaysian capital.

That is if they are the first 1,000 customers to register with Yellow Express' new premium pick-up and drop-off service for its coach customers.

Yellow Express, a local coach company, will be launching the service tomorrow. A one-way trip will cost $55 and a two-way trip will be at $88.

Customers who miss the early-bird promotion will still be picked up from a point near their home.

The service works like this: Yellow Express will fetch customers from a 7-11 store or an MRT station near their residence. There are more than 120 pick-up points across the island, and there are only 18, 24 or 26 seats per coach "to ensure maximum comfort".

In Kuala Lumpur, the coach will drop off passengers at Berjaya Times Square in the city.

Currently, more than 600 people have registered with Yellow Express.

However, travellers are still required to embark and disembark at The Plaza, Yellow Express' terminal along Beach Road. A maxi cab, not the coach itself, is despatched to ferry these passengers.

This means that those who live in areas near to Tuas and Woodlands still have to make the unavoidable detour to town before crossing the Causeway or Second Link.

Still, registered member Goh Jun Jie, 27, a Jurong West resident, doesn't mind the transit. The business manager travels to Kuala Lumpur two to three times a year "to eat and shop".

He said: "I would need to travel to town anyway to board a Singapore-KL express coach, so why not let the bus company cover that expense."

He is also looking forward to the time when Yellow Express expands operations to Penang and Ipoh. The bus company is launching its online booking service on June 30.

However, student Vivien Lian, 24, is not impressed. She lives in Bukit Panjang, achingly near the Woodlands checkpoint.

Ms Lian, who usually pays $50 one way, said: "My main issue is time spent travelling unnecessarily."