Rapid Bus Boosts Transformation While Addressing Traffic Issues

PRASARANA'S Rapid Bus Sdn Bhd is working hard to address three major issues concerning public transport in Kuala Lumpur , according to The Malaysian Reserve.
These include replacing and maintaining old buses, retaining current bus captains and recruiting new ones, and traffic conditions. 

As reported by The Star, Transport Minister Anthony Loke revealed during a parliament session last month that only about 900 of Rapid Bus' 1,757 buses are operational.

In response to this, Rapid Bus CEO Muhammad Yazurin Sallij Muhammad Yasin told The Malaysian Reserve (TMR) that 50% of its buses are 10 to 15 years old and have expired permits, necessitating their replacement soon. 

“Bus permits are usually for a maximum of 15 years; hence we are in progress of acquiring new buses from vendors, estimating to complete the tendering process by end of this year. 

“We are aiming to have 460 new buses ready to be on the road by 2024,” he said. 

As a result, while waiting for the new buses, Yazurin stated that the company will work hard to keep the current ones running after a two-year hiatus due to a Movement Control Order (MCO) in 2020.
He revealed that by the end of June 2023, the number of buses in operation would have increased to slightly more than 960, indicating that they are on the right track. 

Yazurin also stated that smaller-sized buses will be added to the fleet, similar to the iconic minibuses that were popular from the 1970s to the late 1990s. 

He also stated that Rapid Bus is working hard to increase commuter confidence by making these buses more reliable, but that the process would take longer to complete.  "Another thing that these bus captains were unhappy about was the salary package that was offered to them," he continued.  The third critical issue they are dealing with after the pandemic is infrastructure, specifically bus lanes to accommodate the current alarming traffic situation. 

According to the most recent traffic report, there were 4.5 million cars on the road entering the city prior to the pandemic, compared to 6 million cars afterward. 

As more vehicles enter the city, increasing congestion, Rapid KL has continued its collaboration with the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to create more bus lanes. 

Yazurin stated that Rapid Bus has increased cooperation with the Transport Ministry (MoT) after DBKL has been enforcing bus lanes in the city for quite some time and it has worked wonders in reducing traffic jams prior to the pandemic.  To prevent private vehicles from encroaching on bus lanes, he stated that closed circuit television cameras (CCTV) have been installed to ensure that bus lanes are not obstructed. 

People will be more likely to use public transport if bus lanes move more quickly. DBKL will also make the lanes more visible by painting them a brighter colour.

Meanwhile, the launch of the Jalan Ampang bus lane last month yielded positive results, with a 10% increase in ridership in the first two weeks of July. 

The ridership target for Jalan Ampang bus routes is 30,000 to 40,000 passengers. 

Furthermore, plans are being developed to extend the dedicated bus lane to serve evening peak hours from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., as well as to improve passenger experience by introducing more bus lanes in Klang Valley. 

In addition, the company is investigating the Demand Responsive Transit (DRT) concept for additional feeder bus routes. 

Because DRT requires passengers to book the service through an app, this initiative will be a collaboration between Rapid Bus and technology providers. 

A van will pick them up from their preferred location, which can be an actual bus stop or a virtual bus stop. This concept aims to reduce average wait times to eight minutes.