A chaotic mix of sputtering engines and diesel fumes, courtesy of the fleet of parked buses, would choke the air as commuters lined up patiently to board the next ride.
Customers also made a beeline for the stalls selling snacks and canned drinks or the food court serving hot dishes.
Fast forward to 2017 and Pudu Sentral resembles a ghost town.
The incessant chatter of excited commuters has now been replaced by individuals whose faces are glued to their handphones, minding their own business.
Out of the nine bus ticketing counters, only two are open, with four people manning them, offering trips to Perak and other parts of Selangor.
“We are struggling hard to stay afloat as business is not good,” said a Syarikat Perjalanan Terus (SPT) bus company worker, who only wanted to be known as Mohamad Dahlan.
“For a place that used to be so busy, ticket sales have dropped drastically.
“People have stopped taking the bus from Pudu Sentral after the opening of the huge bus terminal, Terminal Bersepadu Selatan (TBS), in Bandar Tasik Selatan.
“Due to the losses that we have to bear, we are no longer providing services to the north, south or east as there are so few passengers.
“We only service short-distance trips.
“Otherwise, we won’t be able to cover the salaries, platform rental and fluctuating fuel prices,” he told FMT, stressing on how hard it was trying to keep the business going.
Dahlan said that things were good before TBS opened because all the buses came to Pudu Sentral and everyone would come here to get their bus to anywhere in Malaysia.
He added that many bus companies have closed ticket counters at Pudu Sentral.
“We only get some good business when it is a festive season or during long holidays.
“Once, we had 10 buses but now it is down to four because we cannot afford the cost of running them.
“We used to have the buses going out every hour. Now, we only run trips at 10am, 1pm, 2pm and 6pm, going to Teluk Intan, Simpang Empat, Sabak Bernam, Sungai Besar and Sekinchan as we can’t get enough passengers.”
Dahlan wondered if the place was going to be closed soon.
TBS opened for service on Jan 1, 2011, taking over southbound long-distance bus operations from Pudu Sentral.
As a result, Pudu Sentral also lost half of its bus volume to TBS.
Business has also not been good for Makcik Katty, 56, who did not want her real name revealed. She had been working at the food court for nearly 30 years.
“It is so hard to do business now as there are fewer people coming here, during weekdays or weekends.
“No one comes here to take the bus any more. They come here to visit the immigration department, registration department, BSN, banks and other offices,” she said referring to the Urban Transformation Centre (UTC) located at the Pudu Sentral complex.
“So when all the offices are closed during Hari Raya or public holidays, it affects our business because no one comes here.
“Sales are not encouraging but the rent is high, around RM4,000 per month. This does not include the maintenance and gas supply.”
She said many food stalls have closed due to the dwindling crowd and the inability to pay rent.
Stall owner Nudwah Nusyur, 50, said hardly anyone came to buy canned drinks or snacks as the bus rides were short-distance.
She said her sales had not been encouraging compared to a few years ago where she could earn RM100 in a day. Now, she can hardly make RM20.
“I have suffered big losses in these few years.”
Stay current - Follow FMT on WhatsApp, Google news and Telegram