Rapid KL City Shuttle

TWK90 said:

I have no idea, because i never take Rapid KL bus from KL Sentral, but...only in this countdown panel, you can see the word 'Tiba' or not (as you can see in that photo, the word tiba only appeared on the first two of the four LED panels), whereas the other digital countdown timers, which are mounted on the side of pillars, generally got bus number, destination name, timer while the bus spot still empty....

I have no idea whether or not a commuter able to take bus from KL Sentral, but there are people waiting there and several buses parked there too....

Click to expand...

interesting information...but not very useful at a place like KL Sentral...if you are downstairs already, you can see if your bus is there.

Put these inside in the main station area, and that would be useful...and put it at other main bus hubs like Titiwangsa, Klang Bus stand, Maluri, KLCC, Ampang Park, Kelana Jaya, Gombak, Bukit Jalil etc.

Or another thought for KL Sentral...and Klang Bus stand...do away with the proposed mall and the garage and create a real open, shaded, island style bus hub/parkette, with a covered central waiting area and the digital timers, small shops, etc.

Does every space need to be turned into a mall? Instead of leaving the land unused or building things like the pointless pasar malam walkway, build a nice temporary bus hub and public space that works for passengers and bus operators and can be used and enjoyed.

Cheers, m

Penumpang RapidKL naik mendadak

PETALING JAYA 8 Julai - Rangkaian Pengangkutan Integrasi Deras Sdn. Bhd. (RapidKL) telah menyaksikan pertambahan dalam purata jumlah penumpang bas dan Transit Aliran Ringan (LRT) sejak pengumuman kenaikan harga minyak oleh kerajaan pada 5 Jun lalu.

Bagi operasi bas, purata jumlah penumpangnya meningkat sebanyak 7.5 peratus daripada 365,111 kepada 392,654 penumpang sehari manakala bagi LRT, puratanya meningkat sebanyak 3.9 peratus daripada 313,753 kepada 326,095 sehari.

Pengurus Besar Komunikasi RapidKL, Ebi Azly Abdullah berkata, berdasarkan analisis awal mendapati terdapat perubahan trend dari segi jumlah penumpang bagi perkhidmatan LRT dan bas.

"Kami akan terus memantau keadaan ini dan melaksanakan pendekatan bersesuaian untuk menampung pertambahan penumpang ini," katanya dalam kenyataan di sini hari ini.

Katanya, bagi menampung pertambahan penumpang aliran LRT Kelana Jaya, syarikat itu mungkin memperkenalkan tren tambahan berkapasiti lebih besar pada penghujung 2009.

RapidKL juga, katanya, telah menambah liputan perkhidmatan bas sehingga sebanyak 53 peratus dan menambah jumlah bas sebanyak 30 peratus sejak penubuhannya empat tahun lalu.

"Syarikat kami kini memberi perkhidmatan di sebanyak 980 kawasan perumahan berbanding 638 semasa ia mula beroperasi pada 2005," kata Ebi Azly.

RapidKL, katanya, kini mengangkut kira-kira 4.9 juta penumpang setiap minggu 2.1 juta menggunakan sistem LRT Aliran Ampang dan Kelana Jaya dan 2.8 juta menggunakan bas. Perkhidmatan itu meliputi 49 stesen tren dan 167 laluan bas, ujarnya lagi.

"Untuk perkhidmatan LRT, RapidKL telah berjaya mengekalkan keberkesanan operasinya pada tahap tinggi. RapidKL juga mempunyai tahap perkhidmatan yang tinggi untuk kedua-dua aliran LRT kami iaitu 99.7 peratus bagi LRT Kelana Jaya dan 99.8 peratus untuk Aliran Ampang," jelasnya.

Tambah beliau, RapidKL komited untuk menyediakan sistem pengangkutan awam yang bersepadu kepada penduduk Lembah Klang dan ini termasuk menggalakkan pengguna menggunakan kedua-dua perkhidmatan iaitu bas dan LRT sebagai jaringan pengangkutan bersepadu.

"Jika mereka (pengguna) boleh mendapatkan bas ke stesen LRT berdekatan, mereka seharusnya menggunakan pilihan ini kerana ia akan membawa mereka ke destinasi dengan lebih pantas kerana perkhidmatan LRT tidak terdedah kepada keadaan aliran jalan raya," ujarnya.

More people using public transport


MORE people in the Klang Valley are leaving their vehicles and using public transport as a result of the fuel price increase last month.

According to Rangkaian Pengangkutan Integrasi Deras Sdn Bhd (RapidKL), the number of commuters using its bus and LRT services had increased.

For its bus operations, the average number of commuters increased by 7.5% from 365,111 to 392,654 a day; while for LRT, the passengers increased by 3.9% from 313,753 to 326,095 a day.

RapidKL said in a press statement that based on an interim study, more passengers were recorded for the LRT lines and bus services.

The company said it would continue to monitor the situation and implement appropriate measures to cope with the increase.

To cope with the increasing number of passengers on its Kelana Jaya LRT Line, RapidKL would introduce additional trains with larger capacity from the end of 2009.

RapidKL has increased bus service coverage by as much as 53% and increased the number of buses by 30% since its inception four years ago.

The company now covers 980 housing estates compared with 638 housing estates when it started operations in 2005.

The RapidKL service is based on a network that integrates both the bus and LRT operations.

Commuters can give their feedback through the corporate website at www.rapidkl.com.my or to call the Helpline at 03-7625 6999 (8.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday).

Commuters complain about infrequent bus services
By DEBBIE CHAN and OH ING YEEN


IMAGINE waiting at a bus station for one-and-a-half hours and not a single bus arrives. No, it’s not the wrong station. The trunk line buses serving as a feeder between the Rapid KL local and city lines as well as the LRT are becoming more infrequent.

And, on some routes with lower passenger load, the feeder buses sometimes do not arrive at all.


Wasted time: Commuters stare at their watches as they wait for the feeder bus.

Recently, a StarMetro team set out to find out what it is like to travel to various destinations using the LRT and buses.

Interviews were conducted with some commuters who depended on these modes of transport.

At the Section 16 bus stop in Petaling Jaya, it was observed that within the duration of one-and-a-half hours during the non-peak period, not a single trunk line bus arrived at the bus stop.

During peak hours, many commuters were seen waiting impatiently for the buses.

According to Jessica Ong, who lives in Bandar Utama, it is a real tough situation at Section 16 as during peak hours, it is really congested and the buses take forever to arrive.

“When one finally arrives, it is often packed to the brim and we have to wait for the next bus. It sometimes takes me two hours to get home,” she said.


Crowded: The long waiting time can also lead to missed appointments.

At 10.20am, there were only a handful of people waiting for the feeder buses at the Asia Jaya LRT station.

Those waiting were observed checking their watches every minute or so, waiting patiently or sighing impatiently, chatting with friends or just idling.

After a 15-minute wait, a trunk line bus heading towards Section 14 came. It was half an hour later before the next bus arrived.

One trunk bus travelling to the Eastin Hotel and stopping at the Section 16 bus stop arrived at 10.50am but it was 40 minutes later before another came.

The waiting period between getting off the LRT rail and boarding the feeder bus adds to the long travel time.

The irregular bus services are a real inconvenience to commuters, causing them to be late for their appointments.

“I hope that they’ll be on time,” Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (Utar) student Gan Chee Seang said, when asked to comment on the feeder bus service.

Gan, who lives in Wangsa Maju, has been taking the feeder bus from there to the university campus in Section 13, Petaling Jaya, daily for nearly three years.

“Although there are more buses at the Wangsa Maju station, the bus drivers are always giving excuses like they want to go for a break or to the toilet,” he said.

Gan said he usually had to wait for 20 minutes for a bus but there were times where he had to wait up to 40 minutes.

“It only takes 45 minutes for me to reach my destination, but with the waiting time, it takes me two hours,” he said.

Fellow Utar student Chew Cheong Huat, 21, is dissatisfied with the average 20-minute wait and hopes that the bus would come more frequently, like every 10 minutes.

“On some days, my class starts at 8am so I end up having to take a taxi for fear of being late,” he said.

According to Nigel Pinto, 20, there should be a time schedule so that the passengers need not have to wait blindly.

“On a good day, I only have to wait for about 10 minutes. However, I have experienced waiting for 40 to 50 minutes. Sometimes, I end up taking a cab,” he said.

Two retirees, who only want to be identified as Yap, 70, and Chan, 80, complained that they had to wait at least half an hour for a bus during the peak hours and about an hour during the off-peak hours.

They often take the bus from the Asia Jaya LRT station to have lunch at Seksyen 17 or SS2.

Yap said RapidKL should have a spare bus in case of breakdowns.

“Once the air-conditioning broke down and it was so hot in the bus,” he said.

“I’ve also noticed that the bus did not travel to all the destinations stated on the bus sign as there were only a few passengers,” Yap said.

“Half an hour is okay for us retirees. But it’s troublesome for those rushing to work,” Chan said.

Not all, however, complained about the waiting time.

Marie Elena finds the feeder bus service convenient and doesn’t mind waiting for 15 to 20 minutes.

“The waiting time is not too bad,” she said.

The scheduled frequency of trunk line buses, including the T628 and T629, is between 20 minutes during peak hours and 40 minutes during off-peak hours.

RapidKL has attributed the bus delays in Klang Valley to worsening traffic conditions as well as other crucial factors like unscheduled road diversions and closures, illegal and haphazard parking of vehicles, adverse weather conditions and road accidents.

According to RapidKL general manager (communications) Ebi Azly Abdullah, traffic congestion patterns vary from day-to-day within the Klang Valley.

“With all these factors combined, it is virtually impossible for RapidKL to provide exact information on frequency timings,” he said.

“In the case of breakdowns, depending on availability of buses and drivers, a spare bus will be used to cover that route,” he said.

Ebi also said despite the 41% price increase in petrol, RapidKL had no immediate plan to increase its fares.

Sell the old buses as scrap, RapidKL told
Story and photo by STUART MICHAEL


THE Selangor Government has asked RapidKL to consider disposing of its old buses as scrap metal instead of letting them rot in the yards.

According to Selangor state local government, research and studies committee chairman Ronnie Liu, there are nearly 1,600 buses at Antara Gapi and Bandar Sungai Buaya, which have been labelled bus graveyards.

“I did not believe there were so many buses condemned and wanted to see for myself. It is an eyesore,” he said.


Bus graveyard: Buses belonging to RapidKL and other companies left to rot at Bandar Sungai Buaya.

Liu said this when visiting Antara Gapi and Bandar Sungai Buaya with Hulu Selangor District Council officers.

He said the buses had been towed there and left to rot for the last two years after RapidKL bought new ones.

“Some of these buses have become breeding grounds for mosquitoes. The Hulu Selangor District Council have recorded 237 dengue cases in the district this year,” Liu said.

RapidKL passenger’s ticket picked the winner in contest


IT pays to use public transport. This was especially true for Mohd Nazril Harun, 28, who won the first prize in the Rangkaian Pengangkutan Integrasi Deras Sdn Bhd (RapidKL) “Simpan & Menang competition.

Nazril won RM8,888 when his ticket was drawn as the winning bus ticket. He was presented a cheque for the prize on July 16 at the KL Sentral Bus Hub by RapidKL CEO Suffian Baharuddin.

The Simpan & Menang competition was held from March to May when bus passengers were told to keep their bus tickets for a lucky draw to be held at the end of May.

The winning tickets were advertised in the local media.


Lucky passenger: Suffian (left) presenting a mock cheque to Nazril.

“I also kept all my tickets when this competition was held in 2007. I kept my tickets again this year and this time around luck was on my side. I still have not decided how I am going to spend the money. But it looks like I had better just save it,” said Nazril.

On using the RapidKL bus, Nazril said that, on the whole, the bus service is more than satisfactory.

“I use the bus every day to commute to work from Desa Pandan to my office in Jalan Sultan Ismail. It is economical and so far the service has been good. I do not face bus delays except when the weather is bad. However, my main disappointment is with the attitude of some of the passengers who refuse to go to the back and this results in the front of the bus being crowded. This makes it difficult for other passengers to board the bus,” he said.

Time to act on public transport


I WOULD like to commend the media and the MPs and assemblymen for their recent attention to the public transport problem in Malaysia.

For too long, the government has shown a lack of interest in public transport and this lack of interest has been reflected in their decision-making.

All MPs and assemblymen should be demanding an explanation about the state of public transport in our country. I also hope that the increased attention and awareness on public transportation will lead to greater government accountability.

The stronger presence of the Opposition parties in Parliament and at state level should also help the cause of public transportation.

I am even tempted to congratulate the new government of Penang for asking the state government to forget about megaprojects and focus on building public transportation from the bottom up.

One area that MPs and assemblymen should be asking tough questions about is the route planning and services that RapidKL has been offering in the past year.

In spite of a 100% capital subsidy (because Prasarana owns the buses) and a 50% operations subsidy (provided by the Finance Ministry), RapidKL has still not been able to provide the standard of service that commuters need.

Actually, RapidKL has been catering for a small market since 2006.

The DTS, (Dedicated Transport Service) is a bus service operated by RapidKL serving an exclusive market. DTS links Cyberjaya with other communities in the Klang Valley.

In the past, RapidKL leased buses from an express bus company but, today, they use the RapidKL Long Haul buses.

I personally have no problem with RapidKL operating a specific, small-market service if it is a bonus on top of an already excellent service. However, I do have a problem with what RapidKL is doing right now.

This DTS for Cyberjaya comes at the expense of the service that they are supposed to be offering to the mass market.

RapidKL should not be using their buses and drivers to offer a profitable bus service to an exclusive market, especially when there is a driver and bus shortage on the mass-market routes.

The above examples show us why there needs to be greater awareness about public transportation in Malaysia.

Everyone needs to sort out their priorities and start working hard to improve public transportation.

MOAZ YUSUF
Subang Jaya

RapidKL Revises Bus Routes For Efficient Bus Network
August 11, 2008 20:30 PM

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 11 (Bernama) -- For a more efficient bus network, Rangkaian Pengangkutan Integrasi Deras Sdn Bhd or RapidKL is revising four bus routes and eliminating three others, effective Aug 21.

The revised routes were designed to enable the company - tasked with providing an integrated transport system in the Klang Valley - to cover a larger area while the eliminated routes were covered by other bus services, RapidKL communications division general manager Ebi Azly Abdullah said.

"As such, the buses previously plying the eliminated routes can now be deployed for other routes and thereby, improve the frequency of these routes," he said in a statement Monday.

The revised routes are Route T312: From Wangsa Maju involves Jalan 1/27 A (LRT Wangsa Maju)-Jalan 2/27A-Jalan Usahawan 5-Jalan Usahawan-Jalan Genting Klang-Jalan Mata Ayer 2-Jalan Mata Ayer-Jalan Mata Ayer 1-Jalan Genting Klang and return Jalan Genting Klang (KFC)-Jalan Tumbuhan-Jalan Malinja (UTAR)-Jalan Malinja 1-Jalan Malinja 2-Jalan Tumbuhan-Jalan 1/27A (LRT Wangsa Maju);

Route T413: From Lebuhraya Cheras-Kajang (R & R Bukit Dukung)-Jalan Cheras-Lebuhraya Cheras-Kajang-Persiaran Impian-Jalan Impian Indah-Persiaran Impian Perdana-Persiaran Prima Saujana-Jalan Jenaris 1-Jalan Jenaris-Lebuhraya Cheras-Kajang-Jalan Cheras-Jalan Besar-Jalan Tukang;

Route T607: From LRT Kelana Jaya-Jalan SS7/26-Jalan SS7/17-Jalan SS7/17K-Jalan SS7/15-Jalan SS7/2-Jalan Lapangan Terbang Subang-Jalan PJU 1A/46 (Sri Kelana Condo, RapidKL HQ )-Jalan PJU 1A/41 - Jalan PJU 1A/3-Jalan PJU 1A/1-Jalan PJU 1A/20a-Jalan PJU 1A/20-Jalan PJU1A/15-Jalan PJU 1A/3-Jalan PJU 1A/1-Jalan Lapangan Terbang Subang- Jalan SS7/2-Jalan SS7/13- LDP-LRT Kelana Jaya and

Route T624: From LRT Kelana Jaya - Jalan SS7/26- Jalan SS7/19 - Jalan SS7/2-Jalan SS7/15 (Stadium) - Kompleks Sukan Kelana Jaya-Jalan SS7/13-LDP- LRT Kelana Jaya.

Ebi Azly said the eliminated routes were LRT Bukit Jalil to Putrajaya Sentral, Taman Medan to Jalan Klang Lama and USJ 8 to Subang Parade.

However, he said those affected by the eliminated routes could use alternative routes plying within their areas - Putrajaya Sentral to Jalan Sultan Mohamed, Putrajaya Sentral to KTM Serdang; Taman Medan to Pasar Seni via Petaling Jaya; Subang Mewah to Pasar Seni, USJ 8/Taipan to Pasar Seni and USJ8 to Sunway Pyramid/Subang Parade.

-- BERNAMA

sad to see the decline of Local Shuttle Service.

It made a big difference when it appeared - better, more reliable service linking suburban areas.

I hope to see improvements in the future - working on some proposals for the local councils to take over shuttle service.

Another proposal, to package routes to give a contracted service monopoly to one bus company - they get the "mainline" route but they have to build and maintain the hubs and also provide feeder bus and local bus services.

Will have to see what happens.

Cheers, m

Commuters want more bus lanes and better frequency :shifty:
Saturday August 23, 2008
TheStar

KUALA LUMPUR: It is not just the rail transport system that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has to fix.

Some members of the public feel he should take a look at the current bus system, too.

“I am glad the Prime Minister saw it for himself but what he observed is the best we have to offer. He has not seen the worst yet,” said lecturer Moaz Yusuf Ahmad, referring to other modes of public transport such as public buses.

Moaz said the Government has to improve the bus system first as it is a service that could see immediate change.

“We can’t sit and plan for long term solutions. We must start with things we can fix immediately,” said Moaz.

Moaz who works for a private institute also said the Government should recruit more drivers and introduce more bus lanes to ensure buses reach their stops quickly and on time every time.

“Poor frequency is the worst of the problems faced by commuters. Enforcement officers should ensure that buses do not stop for long periods at stations but are always on the move.

“Increasing the number of buses or coaches is not the solution if the fleet is not properly managed,” said Moaz.

Another commuter, Peter Sinniah, said the Government should not try to make drastic improvements when minor ones can be done almost right away.

“We can’t change things overnight. It took us about 20 years to build the LRT, but we sure can make little improvements,” said Sinniah.

The 54-year-old felt bus terminals and bus stands should be made more user-friendly, without the public having to wait under the sun or rain without shelter.

He said bus operators should also listen to suggestions from their drivers who know the routes well.

“I have been taking public transport since my school days.

The situation has remained unchanged.