Penang asks Putrajaya: Where the 200 Rapid buses promised?

PENANG: The Penang government wants Putrajaya to deliver the 200 public buses promised in 2010 to alleviate traffic congestion in the state."I hope the promise to add 200 more buses on top of the 300 that are already here, which was made in 2010 during the tabling of the Budget by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak can be fulfilled," Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said.

The buses were slated to be provided to Rapid Penang, a subsidiary of federal-owned public transport company Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd.

As an inducement for Rapid Penang to work towards drawing in more buses, Lim said the state would provide dedicated bus lanes if the company could have 800 buses for the whole state.

Lim said this while officiating at the opening of Rapid Penang's Terminal B, built at a cost of RM2.6 million, at Weld Quay in George Town.

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Also present were Rapid Penang chief operating officer Major (Rtd) Mohd Shukri Abdul Rahman and state executive councillor for local government and traffic management, Chow Kon Yeow.

The state government has no jurisdiction over public transport as permits are issued by the Federal government through the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) under the Prime Minister's Department.

The Finance Ministry, in a written reply to Tanjung MP Ng Wei Aik in June last year, had said that Rapid Penang would get the 200 buses in phases over two years.

Lim, however, noted today that Rapid Penang currently operates only 242 buses, in addition to 23 buses that carry passengers free of charge through a special RM239,000 monthly payment from the state government to the company.

The situation is little different from June last year when Rapid Penang was reported to have 256 buses plying all its routes in Penang.

Currently, 17 of the free buses ply the mainland-island route under a service called the Bridge Express Shuttle Transit (BEST) and five free buses go in a loop around the George Town inner city area under the Central Area Transit (CAT) system.

Lim said the state has consistently given its cooperation to Rapid Penang to enhance its operations by providing access to land spaces for the building of terminals and hubs.

He added that the state has initiated a request for proposals (RFP) for its RM27 billion Penang Transport Masterplan, which comprises an integrated land and cross-channel transportation project, to alleviate and prevent traffic congestion in the long term. The RFP will close in February next year.

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Shukri said the new terminal which will complement the adjacent Terminal A, and thereby accommodate more buses for the company, will encourage more people to leave their cars at home and use public transport.

"Hopefully, with more people using public transport, we can de-congest the city and allow smoother traffic flow, which in turn will increase mobility and productivity for the state," he said.

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