Rapid Bus, the operator of Rapid KL buses in the Klang Valley, is set to expand its fleet with electric buses as part of its Rapid Bus fleet electrification programme. Transport minister Anthony Loke said the initiative will be implemented in stages through two phases starting from this year.
The Prasarana subsidiary plans to purchase 100 electric buses in phase one of the programme, and these will be deployed in the Klang Valley and Penang. The procurement process will be made in stages and is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2024.
Meanwhile, phase two will see the acquisition of 481 new electric buses from 2025, with the entire purchase process expected to be completed by the third quarter of 2027.
“The effort to purchase electric buses of various sizes and technologies by Prasarana/Rapid Bus is aimed at understanding electric bus technology in depth before increasing the number of buses in order to realise the government’s desire to make Kuala Lumpur a low-carbon city as planned,” Loke said in the Dewan Rakyat, replying to a supplementary question from Zahir Hassan (PH-Wangsa Maju) during the Supply Bill 2023 debate.
“In addition, the government is also considering the possibility of purchasing electric buses through leasing to ensure that the buses received are always up-to-date with the latest energy technology developments,” he added.
The gradual move towards EV buses follows on the trial run for electric buses made in April last year, in which four battery-powered BYD buses were deployed for three months on selected routes in the Klang Valley. The two trial routes were Route 400 from Damai Perdana to Lebuh Pudu Hub via Bukit Bintang; and Route 650 from Taman Desa to the Pasar Seni Hub.
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