KUALA LUMPUR: Bus routes in the Klang Valley will undergo integration in order to improve service efficiency, according to Transport Minister Anthony Loke.
Loke stated that currently, three separate bus services are operating in the area: Rapid Bus, the free GoKL buses operated by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), and the Smart Selangor buses run by the Selangor government.
He added, “We need to coordinate their routes to be more integrated and prevent overlap. We hope that this integration and collaboration can lead to smoother and more efficient bus services, as well as an increase in the number of passengers.”
The Transport Minister made these comments after inspecting the operations of Rapid KL bus lanes from Pandan Indah to Masjid Jamek, with Rapid Bus CEO Muhammad Yazurin Sallij Muhammad Yassin also in attendance.
Loke highlighted that there are only 724 buses currently operating in the Klang Valley each day, which is insufficient compared to the demand for nearly 4,000 buses to ensure efficient service.
However, he assured that Rapid Bus will continue to work on increasing the number of buses, estimating that there will be 1,000 operational buses daily by the end of the year.
“We still have about 150 Rapid KL buses that are being maintained and can be put back into service. Additionally, we are in the process of appointing new bus operators. For example, routes that are not covered by our buses will be outsourced to other operators,” Loke explained.
In terms of the bus lanes that began operations in July, Loke revealed that there has been a 12% increase in the number of passengers, rising from 12,936 to 14,523 per day. This has resulted in a time-saving of approximately 20 minutes compared to using private cars.
Credit: The Star : News Feed
