Home > Getting around > Penang ferry schedule and fares: feri Butterworth to George Town
Penang ferry schedule and fares: feri Butterworth to George Town
Boats leave Butterworth from 06:30 to 23:00 and George Town from 07:00 to 23:30, every 20 to 30 minutes. An adult pays RM2.00, a motorcycle RM2.50 and a bicycle RM2.00, and the ferry carries no cars.
The Penang ferry leaves Butterworth for George Town from 06:30 to 23:00 and George Town for Butterworth from 07:00 to 23:30, every 20 minutes at peak times and every 30 minutes otherwise. An adult pays RM2.00 a trip, a motorcycle RM2.50 and a bicycle RM2.00, and the ferry carries people, bicycles and motorcycles, not cars.
The short version
| Who runs it | Penang Port Commission (SPPP), with Penang Port Sdn Bhd (PPSB) |
| Terminals | Sultan Abdul Halim, Butterworth, and Raja Tun Uda, George Town |
| Hours | 06:30 to 23:30, every day |
| How often | Every 20 minutes at peak times, every 30 minutes otherwise |
| Adult fare | RM2.00 |
| How to pay | Touch 'n Go card, or a ticket from the counter or online |
| Cars | Not carried |
Who runs it
The ferry is a service of the Penang Port Commission (Suruhanjaya Pelabuhan Pulau Pinang, SPPP), which publishes the timetable and fares. SPPP and Penang Port Sdn Bhd (PPSB) make decisions on the service together, such as fuel surcharges and free-ride days, and the New Straits Times describes the current service as introduced by PPSB.
The two terminals
| Terminal | Where | What is there |
|---|---|---|
| Sultan Abdul Halim (Pangkalan Sultan Abdul Halim, PSAH) | Jalan Pangkalan Butterworth, on the mainland | Car parking and public bus connections |
| Raja Tun Uda (Pangkalan Raja Tun Uda, PRTU) | Pengkalan Weld, George Town, on the island, near the UNESCO heritage area | Taxis and Grab |
Source: SPPP, Perkhidmatan Feri, read 2026-10-14.
Timetable
| Butterworth to George Town | George Town to Butterworth | |
|---|---|---|
| First boat | 06:30 | 07:00 |
| Last boat | 23:00 | 23:30 |
| Peak times | Every 20 minutes | Every 20 minutes |
| Other times | Every 30 minutes | Every 30 minutes |
SPPP gives the operating hours as 06:30 to 23:30 every day. It does not say on the same page which hours count as peak.
Source: SPPP, Perkhidmatan Feri, read 2026-10-14.
Fares
| Who or what | Fare a trip |
|---|---|
| Adult | RM2.00 |
| Child aged 5 to 11 | RM1.00 |
| Child aged 4 and under | Free |
| Disabled passenger (OKU) | Free |
| Motorcycle | RM2.50 |
| Bicycle | RM2.00 |
How to pay. SPPP lists three ways: a Touch 'n Go card, a ticket bought at the counter, or a ticket bought online. SPPP's ferry page does not say where to buy the online ticket, or whether a Touch 'n Go e-wallet or a bank card works at the gate as well as the Touch 'n Go card.
Enquiries. SPPP gives one number for both terminals: 604-3752432.
Source: SPPP, Perkhidmatan Feri, read 2026-10-14.
What it carries
The ferry carries foot passengers, bicycles and motorcycles. It does not carry cars or lorries: SPPP's own yearly figures count zero cars and zero lorries every year from 2021 to the third quarter of 2025, and its fare list has no car fare.
| Year | Foot passengers | Motorcycles | Cars |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 1,536,373 | 765,725 | 498,922 |
| 2024 | 2,125,834 | 737,132 | 0 |
| 2025, first three quarters | 1,745,741 | 582,599 | 0 |
Source: SPPP, Perkhidmatan Feri, read 2026-10-14.
Recent changes
- New ferries, no cars (as published in 2023). Bernama's headline of 8 July 2023 said users of the new ferry service would ride free for a month from 7 August 2023. The New Straits Times reported in April 2025 that this new service replaced the old car-carrying ferry and had carried five million passengers in 17 months.
- No fuel surcharge (April 2026). Free Malaysia Today reported that SPPP and PPSB decided the George Town and Butterworth ferry routes would not carry the fuel surcharge the transport ministry introduced for ferries from 20 April.
- More riders (August 2026). The Star reported that ferry traffic from January to June 2026 was 7.28% higher than a year before.
- Free-ride days. SPPP sometimes makes the ferry free on a celebration day. For Malaysia Day, 16 September 2026, Bernama reported free trips for Malaysians from both terminals on the normal schedule, saving RM2 a trip on foot and RM2.50 on a two-wheeler.
Sources: Bernama, 8 July 2023, New Straits Times, 30 April 2025, Free Malaysia Today, 18 April 2026, The Star, 24 August 2026 and Bernama, 14 September 2026, read 2026-10-14.
Related
Sources
- Suruhanjaya Pelabuhan Pulau Pinang (SPPP, Penang Port Commission), Perkhidmatan Feri
- Bernama, New Penang ferry service users to enjoy free rides for one month starting Aug 7 (8 July 2023)
- New Straits Times, Penang's new ferry service hits five million passengers (30 April 2025)
- Free Malaysia Today, No fuel surcharge for Penang ferry services (18 April 2026)
- The Star, Penang ferry services record 7.28% growth in first half of 2026 (24 August 2026)
- Bernama, SPPP offers free ferry rides for Malaysians on Wednesday (14 September 2026)
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