THE new bus route connecting the Ampang LRT station with the Ampang Park and KLCC stations has good ridership, recording some 200 passengers daily.
Route DS01 plies these locations without any stops, from 6.30am to 8am and 5.30pm to 7.15pm, at 30-minute intervals.
Previously, LRT passengers from Ampang to KLCC had to change trains at Masjid Jamek station as the destinations were on two separate LRT lines.
With the new bus service, they can travel straight to their destinations.
Rapid Bus Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Muhammad Yazurin Sallij said Route DS01 was a trial phase of its “Bus Skip Stop Xpress” service.
“This service was implemented after considering the high daily ridership via Routes 300 and 301, which connects Pandan Indah and Taman Mulia Jaya with the city centre via Ampang Park and KLCC,” he told StarMetro.
He said the route would be monitored until Aug 16 and improvements would be made based on public feedback.
Muhammad Yazurin hoped the new route would alleviate the traffic congestion along Jalan Ampang, especially during peak hours.
“We want to encourage more people to shift from using their personal vehicle to taking public transport,” he said.
“Rapid Bus, however, has no plans yet to expand a similar service to other locations in Klang Valley.
“Our focus will remain on the Ampang LRT line as it is equipped with a ‘Park n Ride’ facility that can accommodate 1,200 vehicles.
“Ampang Park and KLCC are areas with high footfall, housing many offices and tourist spots,” he added.
Bus Skip Stop Xpress operates on weekdays and only accepts cashless payments such as Touch ‘n Go, travel passes and concession cards.
A ride costs RM1.90 one way, without usage of unlimited travel pass such as My50 or the Keluarga Malaysia pass.
Ampang resident Ahmad Bilal Ali Rizal, 19, who works as a housekeeper near KLCC, hopes the bus service will continue.
“I found out about this new route from friends and have been using it to commute to work every day.“I used to take the LRT all the way, but it was less convenient as I had to disembark at Masjid Jamek to take another train to get to KLCC,” he said.
Bus driver Isshaharil Ismail, 45, said the number of passengers woud usually peak at around 8am, when people went to work.
“There are usually around 20 people per trip.
“This bus can accommodate fully-seated 80 passengers,” he said.