New free city bus service a relief to KL residents

On-the-Go: Passengers getting onto the Go-KL free city bus near KLCC.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Government's initiative to provide a free city bus service in Kuala Lumpur to public transport users has been welcomed by the city dwellers.

The new GO-KL City Bus service will not only reduce traffic congestions within the city centre but also reduce the cost of transport for the working community in the vicnity.

The Go-KL City Bus service, which starts as early as 6am until 11pm, is a huge relief to the working community and tourists who are heading towards prime city locations.

The service has two lines - Purple and Green currently operating in the city centre.

The Purple line will start from Jalan Sultan Muhammad, where Central Market is situated, to Jalan Bukit Bintang whilst the Green line will cover from Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre to Jalan Bukit Bintang.

Mohd Iskandar Yacob, 36, a traveller said that the GO-KL City Bus project under the Urban Public Transport (UPT) National Key Results Area (NKRA) has eased the difficulties and created a positive impact for the public transport users.

“After I got to know of the city bus service, I could not miss the chance of trying out the service provided.

“In my view, the free bus service has the ability to reduce traffic congestions and provides an easier alternative to us and tourists to get into the city.

“We are happy with the implementation and the results will be visible from Monday to Friday during the peak hours,” he said.

Tourist Spriyati Mohamed Taman, 43, and his wife Ananingsih Mokhtar, 41, from Medan, Indonesia, said the government's effort in providing free transportation is viewed as an unique effort.

“It is easy, saves money and certainly helps the commuters with the availability of such a service,” they shared whilst also saying that such services do not exist in their country.

Chong Jun Yen, 43, shared his appreciation for this service and hoped that this project will be maintained for the long term while also requesting for similar services in more locations.

SPAD's chief operating officer Azhar Ahmad said that there were 15 Go-KL City Buses operating with a frequency of between five to 15 minutes during peak and normal periods.

Each bus had a passenger limit of 60 passengers.

The GO-KL City Bus service was launched in conjunction with Malaysia's 55th Merdeka celebrations.