SELANGOR YET TO FINALISE DRT PILOT PROJECT SUBSIDIES AMOUNT - EXCO

SHAH ALAM, July 5 (Bernama) -- The Selangor government has not yet determined a specific amount for the operational subsidies to be given to the two companies operating the Demand Responsive Transit (DRT) pilot project, State Investment, Trade and Mobility Committee chairman Ng Sze Han said.

He said the RM2.16 million payment made to Asia Mobility Technologies Sdn Bhd (Asia Mobility) and Badan Bas Coach Sdn Bhd (Badan Bas), the chosen operators to implement the Proof Of Concept (POC), is not a fixed amount.

As a new initiative, the DRT Project, which has never been implemented in the country before, requires an in-depth study before a final payment amount can be determined, Ng said. 

“The subsidy received by Asia Mobility Technologies Sdn Bhd (Asia Mobility) and Badan Bas Coach Sdn Bhd (Badan Bas) is RM2.16 million each, and for now, we have not fully paid these two operators.

“The majority of the funds are still under the control of the Menteri Besar Selangor Incorporated (MBI) because we need to evaluate the performance post-POC, so the payment has not been fully made to these two operators," he said during question-and-answer time at the state assembly sitting here today.

Ng, who is Kinrara assemblyman, was responding to a supplementary question from Dr Afif Bahardin (Bersatu-Taman Medan) who inquired about the amount and method of subsidy provision to the pilot project operators.

The DRT is a state government initiative to enhance the effectiveness of public transport services and mobility in Selangor.

The DRT pilot project is implemented by MBI and overseen by the Selangor Information Technology & Digital Economy Corporation (SIDEC).

-- BERNAMA