Minibus returns as RapidKL looks to solve first-mile coverage for commuters

PETALING JAYA: RapidKL wants to solve the first-mile coverage for commuters with its trial run of minibuses that will ply Route T300.

"We felt that we needed a smaller bus because we believe we are not covering enough areas to solve the first mile for commuters.

"We are looking at opportunities for us to use a smaller bus so that we can reach more areas especially at PPRs (people's housing project) as larger buses can't enter.

"This is because most of the time those lanes have cars parked on the left and right side of the road," said Rapid Bus CEO Muhammad Yazurin Sallij on Thursday (Aug 29).

On Wednesday (Aug 28), RapidKL announced that it would be running a trial mini bus service on Route T300 from Bukit Indah hub to Ampang Point via Jalan Rasmi.

The announcement received lots of excitement on social media, with many reminiscing the old mini-bus days of the 80s and 90s.

However, many also criticised the move to bring the minibus back.

Muhammad Yazurin said their objective to start the trial minibus service was to study the suitability of using a smaller vehicle.

He said currently they used a double decker bus, a 12m bus that plied normal routes and a 10m bus for the MRT feeder buses.

"Our objective for this trial is for us to collect data. We want to collect data on the suitability, capacity and cost.

"With the data that we collect, we want to do proper planning to see if we can reach more (hard-to-access) areas," he said.

Muhammad Yazurin said they were also keen on getting feedback from the public.

"It does not matter if the feedback is good or bad. With the feedback, at least we would know, and it will be taken into consideration for us to do our planning," he said.

Three mini buses will ply the route from Sept 1 to Nov 29.

The mini buses, which can carry about 31 passengers each, will run on a frequency of 15 minutes during peak hours and 25 minutes during non-peak hours.

The service will start from 5.30am to 11.40pm.

Commuters are welcome to give feedback during the trial service by contacting the Rapid KL Helpline at 03-7885 2585 or email to [e-mail]