RAPID KL’s On-Demand service is set to join Selangor’s RM30 monthly public transport subsidy scheme in the first week of August.
At the same time, Rapid KL is awaiting delivery of additional vans to boost its demand-responsive transit (DRT) capacity, said state investment, trade and mobility committee chairman Ng Sze Han.
He noted that applications for the state’s public transport subsidy programme had been encouraging.
“Once Rapid KL On-Demand comes on board in the first week of August, I am confident that applications will increase,” he told reporters after attending a briefing on a proposed pedestrian route between SMK Taman SEA and the Taman Bahagia LRT station in Petaling Jaya.
Selangor government has allocated RM10.4mil for the subsidy programme, which provides eligible recipients RM30 a month for six months, towards their DRT use.
Applications can be made through the Nine app, which consolidates government services, public transport, smart parking and digital payments into a single platform.
The first phase was rolled out on June 15.
Ng said the second phase beginning in mid-September would cover additional DRT, commuter and stage bus services, with further details to be announced later.
However, he did not give details on the exact number of additional vans expected or when they would be deployed.
Ng said the state government had received feedback and complaints from DRT users, particularly regarding long waiting times and bookings being cancelled.
“We have conveyed all this feedback to Rapid KL,” he said, adding that discussions had taken place over service improvements.
On May 12, StarMetro reported commuter concerns over the DRT service.
These included severe delays, with some users abandoning the platform during peak hours due to unpredictable wait times.
After introduction of the subsidy in June, users said it had helped reduce their financial burden, while a regular DRT rider said he would be encouraged to use the service more often.
