KUALA LUMPUR: Rapid Bus Sdn Bhd has denied claims that it will utilise the familiar ‘pink buses’, a throwback to the 1980s and 90s, as part of its plans to reintroduce the mini bus service in the capital.
The clarification came about after images of pink buses went viral on social media and drew criticism from the public which had labeled it a backward step for the state of the country’s public transportation system.
Rapid Bus chief executive officer Muhammad Yazurin Sallij said the company was still in the process of determining the type and size of the mini buses to be used.
He said the term "mini buses" refers to shorter eight-meter buses, which are mini in size compared to its 10-meter and 12-meter brethren.
Rapid Bus, he said, was not re-purposing the pink mini buses that were a ubiquitous fixture on the roads of Kuala Lumpur some 20 years ago.
“Technically, these are ‘midi’ buses. For the trial period, we are using eight-meter, fully air-conditioned 27-seater buses. Some routes have narrow roads or low demand or the distance is too short, so we need to adjust and modify the kind of vehicles that we use so that we can still serve our guests effectively,” he said.
Similar to all Rapid KL buses, the mini buses will use a cashless system, accepting only Touch N'Go travel cards and the My100 and My50 subscription packages. The trial run will go for three months; starting Sept 1.
“We believe with shorter buses, we can increase the frequency and serve our guests better as it will have faster turnaround time,” said Muhammad Yazurin, who also pointed out challenges faced by normal-sized buses such as space limitation due to haphazard parking by private vehicle owners which results in longer bus trips and delays.
Muhammad Yazurin said the trial run was being held to determine the actual passenger capacity for all routes, including housing areas. The three-month period, he said, will be used to gather data, including on cost factor and customer satisfaction.
“If there is encouraging demand during the trial, we will consider retaining the service for this route and possibly extend similar service to other potential routes. This is part of our continuous effort to provide efficient public transport services for the people,” he said, adding that the T300 route, from the Bukit Indah hub to Ampang Point, will be used as the route for the mini bus trial run.
Muhammad Yazurin was speaking at a media briefing on the Rapid KL mini bus trial run at the Rapid KL Bus Depot in Maluri, Cheras, today.
Also present were Rapid Bus chief operating officer Shamsul Rizal Mohd Yusoff and programme coordinating head Rahim Mahamud.
Harian Metro, on Tuesday, had reported that after a 21-year hiatus, mini bus services, which were a feature of KL’s cityscape, could make a return to the capital from next month.
The trial run will see the mini buses deployed along the T300 route from Sept 1 to Nov 26.
Commuters who wish to provide feedback during the trial period can contact the Rapid KL Helpline at 03-7885 2585 or email suggest@rapidkl.com.my.