Penang Free Ride for Mutiara Pass, Valid until 2023

Good news for the people of Penang!  There will be a FREE monthly fee for Pas Mutiara (My50) until next year in 2023. 

Through My50 Pearl Pass membership subsidy, consumers could use free bus service between the city on the island and Bukit Mertajam starting January 1. The service, which connects passengers travelling from the Bukit Mertajam bus terminal to Komtar or vice versa, is expected to serve an important role for the public.

The Congestion Alleviation Transport (CAT) Bridge will conduct trips from Komtar and Bukit Mertajam at 30-minute intervals from 6 to 9 am on weekdays before resuming at 4.50 PM, with the last bus leaving at 7 PM from Bukit Mertajam and 7.25 PM from Komtar. 

Meanwhile on weekends, the frequency of the service will be reduced to hourly trips. The cross-strait route is projected to take about an hour and 15 minutes with an estimation that a typical e-hailing ride across the 27 kilometre distance may cost between RM52 and RM72. 

The Mutiara Pass began as a paid monthly pass, similar to My50, but in March 2021, the Penang state government would sponsor 100,000 passes at RM3 million. That figure was subsequently cut to 90,000 in 2022, but due to increased ridership, the state quickly boosted the number of passes to 120,000. 

Also, the Penang state has stated that it will continue the free bus trip programme with a larger budget next year.  This includes the Unlimited Travel Card, also known as Mutiara Pass that allows customers to use Rapid Penang bus services throughout the state at any time. 

Aside from that, Head of the State Infrastructure and Transport Committee Zairil Khir Johari has mentioned that the state will provide an extra 30,000 Mutiara Passes in 2023, bringing the total number of passes to 150,000. 

On a different note, Malaysians will also be able to take the high-speed ferry between Butterworth and the island for free until June 30, 2023.

Source: Rapid Penang Facebook