Kuala Lumpur expects 175 electric buses for Rapid KL
The initial rollout includes another 75 electric buses for Rapid Penang, while a wider fleet programme envisages 1,700 buses by 2030.
Rapid KL is expected to put 175 new electric buses into service in Kuala Lumpur soon, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said, as the government pursues improvements to public transport and gradually replaces diesel-powered vehicles.
Speaking at the Kuala Lumpur Federal Territories DAP annual convention, Loke said the initial phase would cover 250 electric buses. Of these, 175 would serve Rapid KL and 75 would go to Rapid Penang.
The government’s wider fleet modernisation programme involves ordering or procuring 1,700 buses by 2030, he said. Loke linked the shift to electric buses with efforts to improve connections across the capital.
He said Kuala Lumpur’s MRT, LRT and monorail networks needed better links between stations, homes and commercial centres. To improve pedestrian access, the government had approved 22km of walkways, including covered sections, to be built by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL).
Services from Prasarana Malaysia Bhd and Rapid KL would complement those improvements, Loke said. He added that effective public transport depended on convenient access to homes and workplaces, rather than rail infrastructure alone.
