Rapid Penang On-demand To Introduce Three New Routes Starting March 15

GEORGE TOWN, March 10 (Bernama) -- Rapid Bus Sdn Bhd (Rapid Bus), the operator of Rapid Penang bus services, will expand its Rapid Penang On-Demand network with three new routes and two additional vans for the current route starting March 15.

In a statement today, Rapid Bus said the expansion of the service, previously known as Demand Responsive Transit (DRT), will cover Gurney and Tanjung Bungah (six vans), Sunway and Butterworth (six vans) and Paya Terubong (one van).

“These new routes aim to meet public transport demand in densely populated areas and newly developed locations that still lack access to public transportation.

“The routes will also serve as first and last-mile connections to the existing Rapid Penang network, enhancing public transport connectivity in the state,” it said.

Meanwhile, Rapid Bus acting chief executive officer Ku Jamil Zakaria said that due to encouraging demand, the company plans to gradually deploy 50 vans for services in Penang throughout the year.

He explained that this strategic move is aimed at encouraging the public to shift to a more flexible and efficient public transport system.

“The existing route, T210B (Farlim and Air Itam), launched on Aug 1 last year, will also be improved with the addition of two vans, bringing the total to four vans. This aims to accommodate high demand and reduce passenger waiting time from 17 minutes to 10 minutes,” he said.

Ku Jamil added that since its launch, the route has recorded an average of 137 passengers daily, exceeding the initial target of 100 daily passengers.

Overall, the total ridership has exceeded 26,000 over the last seven months.

He also announced that a cashless payment system will be introduced on March 13 for the Farlim and Air Itam route, followed by the three new routes starting March 15.

-- BERNAMA