From Nov 1, DRT users only need one app to book rides. — Filepic
ALTHOUGH Klang Valley’s demand-responsive transit (DRT) service will be improved by integrating three booking apps next month, users say other improvements are needed.
Alvin Ho, who travels frequently via DRT vans in the PJ Sentral zone, wants the service to be on time.
“The DRT vans under Rapid Bus often arrive late as the driver is overloaded with requests and needs extra time to pick up or drop off other passengers before reaching me.
“More vans should be added in high-demand zones to address this issue,” he said.
Ho also commended the integration of three apps – Mobi, Trek Rides and Kummute – into one integrated app called Rapid On-Demand.
“Besides convenience in booking, the unification could also save storage space in my phone as I would not need to download multiple apps,” he added.
Bandar Puteri Puchong 8 resident Wallace Lim called for diversification in business model to make DRT more resilient to their competition.
Chong suggests DRT expand its coverage to areas with high-rises and schools.
“E-hailing services remain DRT’s biggest competitor and many of them have various types of vehicles to accommodate different passenger needs,” he said.
The key is to allow users to go from one point to another conveniently, said Lim.
“For example, all the DRT pick-up and drop-off points are still pre-determined by the service providers.
“Passengers should have more flexibility in this,” he added.
On the integration of the three apps, Rapid Bus in a media statement said it would take effect on Nov 1 and be implemented in two phases.
Zones currently served by Mobi and Trek Rides will be absorbed into Rapid On-Demand starting Nov 1, followed by zones currently served by Kummute in mid-November, it said.
Ho says having just one DRT app helps reduce storage use in his smartphone.
It added that users would not be able to book Rapid On-Demand rides on other apps after the integration.
Puchong Hartamas resident Mike Chong, whose daughter is a DRT user, praised the initiative, saying that having multiple apps made the service confusing.
“The service could be further improved by expanding its coverage to areas with many high-rise buildings and schools.
“It used to cover my daughter’s school area but the service ceased several months ago,” he added.
The area where Chong’s daughter is attending school, was served by Trek Rides which stopped operations on June 30, as reported in StarMetro.
This came after Selangor government called for a new request for proposal to operate the DRT service under Selangor Mobility earlier this year.
It was reported that the state was still fine-tuning the next phase of Selangor Mobility and it hoped to resume the service by the end of this year.
