Rapid Penang king of the road

Rapid Penang king of the road

Three years after starting its service, Rapid Penang has knocked out its competition on Penang Island.

Penang Municipal Council (MPPP) traffic management senior engineer A. Rajendran said an observation made by the council showed that no other buses from other firms like Milan, Transit Link and KGN Link were seen picking up passengers at Weld Quay, the Komtar bus interchange and the Bukit Jambul bus stop.

He said although these bus companies were still operating, their buses were not seen plying the streets here.

State Local Government and Traffic Management Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow claimed the lease scheme and the attitude of drivers were the main reasons the other bus companies lost out.

“Under the lease scheme, bus companies rent out the buses to the drivers, allowing them to decide when to work, which route to ply and waiting until buses are full before they leave the bus stops,” he said.

He told a press conference yesterday that the scheme caused inefficiency and created a bad reputation for Penang’s public transportation.

“We want the best for the public in terms of safety, efficiency, affordability and cleanliness,” he said.

Plans are also in the pipeline to upgrade the infrastructure at the Komtar bus interchange.

Rajendran said heavy duty tiles would be used to pave all the lanes as they are more durable.

He said the waiting platforms would be closed up with air-conditioning.

-News courtesy of The Star-