Rapid Bus

Rapid Bus Sdn Bhd is the largest bus operator in Malaysia operating mainly in urban areas of Klang Valley, Penang & Kuantan. As of 2011, Rapid KL service brands unit of Rapid Bus, has operates 167 routes with 1,400 buses covering 980 residential areas with a ridership of about 400,000 per day.[1]

This article is about bus transport operator of Kuala Lumpur. For Kuala Lumpur's bus system, see Rapid KL. For Kuala Lumpur's public transport system, see Public transport in the Klang Valley.
Not to be confused with Rapid Rail or RapidBus.

Rapid Bus Sdn Bhd
Rapid KL Alexander Dennis Enviro500 MMC parked at Cheras Selatan depot.
SloganMenghubungkan Kita Semua
(Connecting Us All)
Parent
FoundedJanuary 2006
HeadquartersKuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Service typeBus service
Routes167
Fleet1,400
Daily ridershipabout 400,000 per day
WebsiteRapid Bus
Rapid KL BYD K9 battery-run electric bus for BRT Sunway Line
Rapid KL MAN 18.280 HOCL-NL (A84 chassis)
Rapid Penang Scania K250UB

Rapid Bus routes were previously operated by Intrakota Komposit Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of DRB-Hicom Berhad; and Cityliner Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Park May Berhad. When it took over, there were 179 routes. Since January 2006, Rapid KL has redrawn the entire network.

Rapid Bus is however not the only bus operator in Kuala Lumpur and the Klang Valley. Other bus operators such as Metrobus, Len Seng Omnibus Co Ltd., Nadi Putra and Selangor Omnibus Co. Ltd also serve the Klang Valley.

History

In October 2003, Prasarana Malaysia Berhad bought over Intrakota Komposit and its subsidiaries from DRB-Hicom for RM177mil. It also paid RM14mil cash for the 364 buses belonging to Cityliner. The original companies were appointed interim operators.

Rapid Bus began the first phase of the revamp of its bus network in January 2006 by introducing 15 City Shuttle bus routes which serve major areas in the central business district of Kuala Lumpur. The buses run between four hubs at the edge of the central business district, namely KL Sentral, Titiwangsa, KLCC and Maluri, and Medan Pasar in the city centre. These bus hubs also serve as rail interchanges, with the exception of Medan Pasar, although it is at a walking distance from Masjid Jamek LRT station.

In March 2006, Rapid Bus revamped the bus network serving Kepong, Selayang, Gombak, Batu Caves, Bandar Sri Damansara and Bandar Manjalara areas which it called Area 2. The areas are now service by four Trunk Routes and 35 Local Shuttle routes when fully implemented. The four trunk routes all begin from the Titiwangsa hub where passengers can change to City Shuttles. At the other end, the trunk routes serve regional hubs where Local Shuttles fan out into the residential suburbs.

On 30 April 2006, the bus network in Area 3 covering Setapak, Ulu Kelang, Wangsa Maju, Keramat, Ampang and Pandan was revamped. Three trunk bus routes serve this area, one from Titiwangsa and two from KLCC while 26 local shuttle routes complete the network for this area.

On 1 July 2006, two express services, four trunk lines and 32 local services were introduced in Area 4. It covers areas including Cheras, Serdang, Kajang, Balakong, Putrajaya, Cyberjaya and Bandar Baru Bangi.

On 23 September 2006, Rapid Bus' revamp of the Klang Valley's bus network became complete with the introduction of new routes in Area Five which covers Subang Jaya, USJ, Puchong, and Petaling Jaya, Shah Alam and Klang south of the Federal Highway; and Area Six which covers Damansara, Bandar Utama, Kota Damansara and areas of Petaling Jaya, Shah Alam and Klang north of the Federal Highway.

On 21 April 2007, sixteen months after the first step of the first revamp, a second major revamp was undertaken on the entire bus network on grounds of feedback from commuters who wanted the buses to ferry them from their housing estates direct to the city centre, that is with less or without much need to change buses in the middle of their journey.[2]

This revamp saw the routes being adjusted (e.g. B112 [Maluri — KL Sentral], formerly 112, now passes by Jalan Hang Tuah/Pudu/Tun Tan Cheng Lock instead of Jalan Maharajalela/Sultan Sulaiman), extended (T40 [Kajang — Maluri], is now U40 and is extended to Pasar Seni LRT), merged (T41 [Serdang Komuter — Maluri] and 414 [Serdang — Bandar Sungai Long] become U41 [Pasar Seni LRT — Bandar Sungai Long]) or discontinued (route 107 ceased operations on that date).

On 1 December 2015, The Bus Network Revamp (BNR) was carried out by SPAD to improve urban public transport in Greater Kuala Lumpur/ Klang Valley. This procedure has caused RapidKL to surrender most of its bus routes to other bus providers such as Causeway Link, Selangor Omnibus, Setara Jaya and Nadi Putra.

On 18 June 2020, Rapid Bus released new features on real time locations of bus in Google Maps, via collaboration with Google Transit[3][4][5][6]. Almost 170 RapidKL's bus routes are covered with this real time feature. Rapid Bus also plans to expand the application to MRT feeder bus service, Rapid Penang, and Rapid Kuantan in the future.

Services

Using Rapid Bus in Rapid KL brands

Nomenclature (Before BNR): 2006-2015

Rapid Bus operates four types of bus services: City Shuttles (Malay: Perkhidmatan bandar), Trunk Buses (Perkhidmatan utama), Local Shuttles (Perkhidmatan tempatan) and point-to-point Express buses (Perkhidmatan ekspres).

City Shuttles have red destination boards, trunk buses have blue boards, local shuttles have green boards and express services have orange boards.

Rapid Bus has also divided up the Klang Valley into six areas:

  • Area One : Kuala Lumpur City Centre (Central Business District)
  • Area Two : Kepong, Segambut, Selayang, Batu Caves, Gombak, Jalan Ipoh and Sentul
  • Area Three : Setapak, Wangsa Maju, Ulu Klang, Setiawangsa, Keramat, Ampang and Pandan
  • Area Four : Cheras, Kajang, Ulu Langat, Putrajaya, Cyberjaya, Semenyih, Sungai Besi, Seri Kembangan, Serdang and Balakong
  • Area Five : Klang, Shah Alam Selatan, Bandar Sunway, Subang Jaya, Jalan Klang Lama and Puchong
  • Area Six : Shah Alam Utara, Subang, Damansara, Petaling Jaya Utara, Bangsar and Kota Damansara

Route numbers for the local shuttle are prefixed by the letter T (for Tempatan), e.g. T323. Route numbers for the express services are prefixed by the letter E (for Ekspres), e.g. E1.

There was a prefix for trunk shuttles which is U (for Utama) e.g. U410 and for city shuttles which is B (for Bandar), e.g. B114. But all the prefix were demolished due to the revamping of the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) except the local shuttle T (Tempatan) services.

The Bus Network Revamp (BNR): 2015-present

The Ampang Corridor, Cheras Corridor, Sungai Besi Corridor, Klang Lama Corridor, Lebuhraya Persekutuan Corridor, Damansara Corridor, Jalan Ipoh Corridor, and Jalan Pahang Corridor were revamped under the Bus Network Revamp reorganization.

The Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) has divided up the Klang Valley into 8 stage bus corridors:

  • Jalan Ipoh Corridor
  • Jalan Pahang Corridor
  • Ampang Corridor
  • Cheras Corridor
  • Sungai Besi Corridor
  • Klang Lama Corridor
  • Lebuhraya Persekutuan Corridor
  • Damansara Corridor

The Bus Network Revamp has been implemented by Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) as of 1 December 2015.

Bus routes
See also: List of bus routes in Greater Kuala Lumpur

Former bus routes served by Rapid Bus

Before the implementation of the Bus Network Revamp (BNR) by the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD).

Previous route numberDestinationNew route number under BNR
U3Bandar Baru Selayang - Medan PasarSetara Jaya (Route 151)
U4Desa Aman Puri - Medan PasarSelangor Omnibus (Route 104)
U5Taman Melati LRT station - Lebuh AmapngNot in service (replaced with route T203 by Rapid Bus; towards Danau Kota / Jalan Genting Klang)
U8Damansara Damai - Medan PasarSelangor Omibus (Route 103)
U11Taman Sri Sinar - Medan PasarSelangor Omibus (Route 121)
Previously served by Setara Jaya (December 2015 - March 2016) and Causeway Link (March 2016 - July 2017)
U13Taman Ehsan - Medan PasarSelangor Omibus (Route 120)
Previously served by Setara Jaya (December 2015 - March 2016) and Causeway Link (March 2016 - July 2017)
U21Ukay Perdana - Chow KitNot in service (replaced with route T222 by Rapid Bus; towards Sri Rampai LRT station)
U22Sri Nilam - Lebuh AmpangNot in service (replaced with route 301 by Rapid Bus; towards Taman Midah, Cheras)
U25Section 10, Wangsa Maju - Lebuh AmpangLeng Seng and Rapid Bus (Route 251/252)
U42Putrajaya Sentral - Serdang railway stationNadi Putra (Route 502)
U69Putra Perdana - Pasar SeniCauseway Link (Route 601)
Previously served by Metrobus (December 2015 - October 2016)
U75APantai Dalam Komuter station - Pasar SeniNot in service
U83KL Sentral - Solaris DutamasRapid Bus (Route 850)
No longer in service as of 1 December 2017
U84Kelana Park View - Pasar SeniNot in service
U85Taman Paramount LRT station - Pasar SeniNot in service (replaced with route T790 by Rapid Bus; towards Mid Valley Megamall)
U91Klang - Pasar SeniNot in service (replaced with routes 700 and 708 by Seranas, KKBB and Rapid Bus)
700: Klang - Pasar Seni
708: Klang - Sunway Pyramid via Shah Alam
U209Taman Selayang Utama - Medan PasarSetara Jaya (Route 152)
U222Jinjang Utara - Medan PasarSelangor Omnibus (Route 120)
Previously served by Setara Jaya (December 2015 - March 2016) and Causeway Link (March 2016 - July 2017)
U429Putrajaya Sentral - CyberjayaNadi Putra (Route 520)
E1Putrajaya Sentral - Pasar SeniNadi Putra (Route 500)
T515Puchong Utama - Pulau MerantiCauseway Link (Route 608); from IOI Puchong Jaya LRT station
Previously served by Metrobus (December 2015 - January 2016) and Nadi Putra (January 2016 - October 2017)

Using the service

Rapid Bus new bus system expects users to hop on more than one bus to complete a journey. This is unlike the previous Rapid Bus bus system and that still in use by other bus operators in the Klang Valley, where most bus services begin in the suburbs, follow a trunk route to the city, then perform a sweep in the city centre before terminating.

Instead, Rapid Bus users are expected to use a combination of its four types of services to complete journeys. Local Shuttles take users in the suburbs to hubs, usually bus terminals or LRT stations, where users transfer to LRTs or trunk buses to continue their journeys to the city or elsewhere in the Klang Valley. The city centre is served exclusively by City Shuttles.

Fares

Effective 1 September 2009, all Rapid Bus buses will be issued a single journey tickets for their city shuttle (BANDAR), local shuttle (TEMPATAN) & express (EKSPRES) bus routes which replaced the daily unlimited ride tickets. As for trunk shuttle (UTAMA) bus route, the tickets will be issued based on the number of zones covered. For example, if a person travels across three zones on the trunk shuttle (UTAMA) bus route, the bus fare is RM 2.50 for single journey. The ticket must be kept while on board for inspection by RapidKL officials failure of which the ticket must be purchased again if the ticket is lost while on board during the inspection.

Spouse and a total of 4 youngsters under 15 years old are allowed to accompany the pass holder free on weekends and public holidays.

Schedules

Detailed schedules of bus services are not published, although headway information and operating hours is publicly available.

Headway:

  • City Shuttle:10 to 20 minutes
  • Trunk Line: 15 to 30 minutes
  • Local Shuttle: 15 to 30 minutes
  • Express: 30 to 60 minutes

There are scheduled services that are not subject to the above headways.

RapidBET - Rapid Bus Express Transit

BET is a system where the buses utilize less congested highways to link between heavily populated areas and city centers in Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya. Naturally, by using the highways, travel time is reduced as the highways are less congested than the normal routes. The service will have limited stops and rely on feeder buses and park-n-ride facilities to ensure sufficient ridership. With BET, travel time is expected to be reduced by up to 50 percent on certain BETs.

To Kuala Lumpur

To Putrajaya

BET services are only available on weekdays and during the morning and evening peak hours only. For this initial introductory stage, BET will run at 15 to 20-minute intervals during the morning and evening peak hours. Frequency and service periods will be increased at a later stage depending on the demand for each route.

Buses for BET routes are about four to six buses initially and will be reviewed from time to time as the demand grows. BET is more of an enhancement to the current services, whereby the focus is more to shorten the travel time

Bus Fleet

As of June 2014, the Rapid Bus fleet consists of 1,400 vehicles.[7]

Double decker buses

Single Deck Buses

Bus Depots

Rapid Bus operates Rapid KL depots in Cheras Selatan, Batu Caves, Shah Alam, Maluri, Sunway, Sungai Buloh and Kajang depots.

See also

References
  1. Surin Murugiah (27 June 2008). "RM4.9b to boost urban,rail transport systems". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 28 June 2008.
  2. "Back to those 'minibus' days". NST. 18 April 2007.
  3. "Aplikasi Google Maps Untuk Bantu Rancang Perjalanan Dengan Bas". Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  4. "Google Maps app to help Rapid bus users plan trips". Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  5. "Rapid Bus collaborates with Google Maps app to help users plan trips, view real-time location of buses". Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  6. "https://themalaysianreserve.com/2020/06/19/rapidkl-users-can-now-plan-bus-trips-via-google-maps/". Retrieved 21 June 2020. External link in |title= (help)
  7. "Rapid bus buy tow trucks worth RM3m to reduce maintenance costs". Bernama. Factiva. 5 June 2014.
  8. 120 RapidKL buses coming to Klang Valley streets
  9. Rapid Bus gets 90 Volvo double deckers
  10. BYD delivers 15 electric buses for world’s first battery electrified BRT in Malaysia
  11. RapidKL adds 150 buses to increase efficiency of public transport system
  12. Scania to Deliver 360 New City Buses to RapidKL and RapidKuantan
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