By Bus
The new Mawlamyine bus terminal was open in April 2007. It's located at Myay Ni Gone quarter, near the new train station on the eastern side of the ridge about 3 km from the main town centre. To get to downtown Zeigyi, you can take a motorcycle taxis (seikeh) for about 800 kyat or if you have luggage, then a thoun bein can be hired for about 3000 kyat.

Regular bus services leave Yangon for Mawlamyine daily at 8pm and arrive the next morning at 6am. All buses now go direct to Mawlamyine via Mottoma over the Thanlwin Bridge since it opened in February 2005. Although Mawlamyine is only 165 kilometers from Yangon point-to-point across the Gulf of Mottama, it's distance overland is 245 kilometers. There are many bus companies to choose from including PTT, Yar Zar Mein and Zar Mi Kyaw with PTT and Yar Zar Mein offering a "spacious" class service using slightly bigger buses with more leg room for slightly more. Tickets can be purchased at the south end of Aung San stadium opposite the Yangon train station and costs around 4000 kyat for a standard bus or 7600 kyat for the "spacious" service. Note that tickets purchased by foreigners on Yar Zar Mein is payable in US Dollars. PTT on the other hand only has one fare for both foreigners and locals payable in the local currency, Kyat.

 

Myanmar bus companies are surprisingly well organised when it comes handling your luggage. They use a similar system to that used on airlines by tagging all items stowed in the cargo hold with the passenger's name and seat number. When you arrive at your destination, you must give the bus operator your ticket before being able to claim your luggage from the cargo hold. This system is widely used by the more reputable operators to prevent theft of baggage.

In Yangon most buses for Mawlamyine including Yar Zar Mein and Zar Mi Kyaw depart at the Au Mingala bus station in North Okalappa about 45 minutes from the city centre. PTT however departs  west of the city at their own terminus. There are 2 scheduled stops along the way for toilet and meal breaks, with the first near Bago at 10pm, and the other stop in Thaton at 3am. On the return journey back to Yangon, there is a prolonged stop at about midnight for half an hour just before Sittaung where customs officers check the vehicle for commercial goods. With this being the major route for locals from the Thai border to Yangon, Customs are vigilant in checking for dutiable goods coming across from Mae Sot, the border town with Thailand.

 

Since the start of 2005, the condition of the road between Sittaung and Mottama has improved significantly reducing the travel time by as much as two hours. There is a police checkpoint at the Thanlwin bridge where the authorities will check the locals' ID cards, however they seem less interested in foreign tourists these days and will usually wave you through after a quick glance at your passport. Once over the Thanlwin Bridge, buses now terminates at the new bus terminus located in the Myay Ni Gone Quarter on the eastern side of the ridge. A number of shop houses selling food are conveniently located here as well.

 

Note that on the return journey to Yangon, you'll need to take 4 photocopies of your passport information page and visa and hand this over to bus company official who will hand all this to the authorities along the route to Yangon.