300 New DRT Vans Will Operate From Dec Till June 2025

Beginning Dec this year, Prasarana Malaysia Berhad (Prasarana) plans to add 300 additional vans to its Demand Responsive Transit (DRT) fleet.

Prasaran group CEO and president Mohd Azharuddin Mat Sah declared that these vans will be deployed from Dec and will operate until June next year.

The initial roll out consists of thirty vans in total, which will include ten that are specifically built with cutting-edge safety features and accessibility for people with disabilities (PWDs).

According to Azharuddin, this expansion in van numbers is a result of the growing demand for DRT services. DRT was originally introduced to supplement the Rapid Bus operations, supplying a first and last mile link for passengers in Klang Valley and Penang to their respective Rapid rail network.

Since its inception in May last year with just one route and a single van in Klang Valley, Rapid DRT service has expanded to cover nine routes with a fleet of 18 vans. The service was also extended to Penang on Aug 1, and now operates on one route with two vans.

All bookings for the Rapid DRT service are handled through the Kumpool ride-hailing app, which has served 126,656 passengers as of July 31 (32% increment).

Current routes include Alam Megah LRT Station-Section 27 Shah Alam, Taman Paramount LRT-Kampung Baiduri, Taman Bahagia LRT-SS6, Sri Rampai LRT-Giant Ulu Kelang, Asia Jaya LRT-Phileo Damansara MRT, and Farlim-Air Itam in Penang.

With the larger fleet, DRT services will soon be available in underserved communities without rail or Rapid Bus service, like Kuala Kubu Bharu, as well as new rail-linked places like Putrajaya, Kajang, and Ampang.

Azharuddin stressed that the Rapid DRT service would continue to cost only RM1 per trip and Prasarana is looking at introducing an open payment system that would let customers use a range of payment options instead of just Touch 'n Go cards and the My50 travel pass for all Prasarana services.