KUALA LUMPUR: Only 900 of the 1,757 buses under Rapid Bus, a subsidiary of Prasarana Group, are actively operating, says the Transport Ministry.
Minister Anthony Loke said this was because 45% of the total number of buses were more than 10-years-old, and needed repair and maintenance works done on them.
Through the "Fleet Replacement and Electrification Programme", Rapid Bus is also replacing older and more breakdown-prone buses with electric and new diesel buses.
“This programme is expected to begin in 2024,” he said in a written parliamentary reply to Wong Shu Qi (PH-Kluang) on Wednesday (June 7).
Wong had asked about the number of stage buses under Prasarana Malaysia Berhad’s ownership that were operating optimally daily and the number of buses that were not in operation.
Loke added that a shortage of bus captains was among the factors why bus operations could not be optimised.
“From our records, there are 867 vacancies that need to be filled for the position.
“To resolve this, hiring activities are actively carried out to attract more potential candidates, alongside improving benefits to staff such as increasing allowances, among others,” he said.
