Rapid Penang On-Demand van service expanded – seven new zones in three-month trial from May 31
Rapid Bus has announced an expansion of the Rapid Penang On-Demand service through a three-month proof of concept (POC) phase starting from May 31. As present, the service – previously known as Demand Responsive Transit (DRT) – has 31 vans operating in six zones, with an average daily ridership of 1,828 commuters, prompting the transport operator to explore an increase in the coverage scope.
Prasarana Malaysia group CEO (operations) Amir Hamdan said the van-based service will expanded with an additional seven zones, which have been identified based on local demand, population density and connectivity with existing bus route service coverage, Bernama reports.
The first, the Alma zone, will see four vans connecting passengers with existing bus routes such as (No.) 708 (Bukit Mertajam–Junjung), 801 (Penang Sentral–Nibong Tebal) and 802 (Bukit Mertajam–Nibong Tebal).
The Bukit Mertajam City zone will operate with three vans in the Seberang Perai Tengah (SPT) town centre to increase first and last mile access, connecting routes 606 (Bukit Mertajam–Kepala Batas), 701 (Bukit Mertajam–Penang Sentral), 702 (Bukit Mertajam–Penang Sentral), 707 (Bukit Mertajam–Taman Pelangi), 708 (Bukit Mertajam–Junjung), 709 (Penang Sentral–Machang Bubuk), 802 (Bukit Mertajam–Nibong Tebal) and CT14 (Bukit Mertajam–Komtar).
Meanwhile, the Bayan Baru zone will have three vans providing access to existing bus services including routes 301 (Weld Quay-Relau), 302 (Weld Quay–Batu Maung), 303 (Weld Quay–Bukit Gedung), 304 (Gurney Promenade–Bukit Gedung), 306 (Hospital–Penang International Airport), 308 (Sungai Nibong–Gertak Sanggul), 401 (Weld Quay Teluk Kumbar), 401E (Weld Quay–Balik Pulau) and CT13 (Bayan Baru–Seberang Jaya).
The Bertam zone will have two vans to connect commuters with routes 601 (Penang Sentral–Kepala Batas), 606 (Bukit Mertajam–Kepala Batas) and 610 (Kepala Batas–Tasek Gelugor) to reduce waiting times for these routes.
The Balik Pulau zone will also have two vans for first and last mile access with existing bus routes, and this will cover routes 401E (Balik Pulau–Weld Quay), 403 (Balik Pulau–Pulau Betong), 404 (Balik Pulau–Pantai Acheh) and 502 (Genting Town, Balik Pulau–Weld Quay).
Finally, the Transkrian or Nibong Tebal zone will have two vans operating specifically in the Transkrian area to connect communities with the Rapid Penang bus network, while three vans will be assigned to the Batu Kawan zone
Amir said that Rapid Bus will monitor demand and usage patterns throughout the three-month trial period to ensure that the service is relevant to meet needs, adding that improvements will be implemented based on evaluation results and passenger feedback.
