Monday, December 2, 2013

Rapid Kuantan gears up for VMY

Rapid Kuantan gears up for VMY

The Rapid Kuantan stage bus service, which celebrated its first anniversary yesterday, will add three more routes next month as part of its preparations for Visit Malaysia Year 2014.

Serving more than 13,000 passengers daily, it aims to make a bigger impact next year while also boosting its role as a development catalyst for the state.

Rapid Bus Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Zohari Sulaiman said the new routes would be between Hentian Bandar and Gebeng via Beserah; between Hentian Bandar and PSDC via Jalan Galing; and between Hentian Bandar and Gebeng that crosses through the Kuantan Bypass.

With the three new routes, Rapid Kuantan would serve 16 routes in total.

"This is something that we did not anticipate when we first launched RapidKuantan.

"Its progress has been exceptional," said Zohari, who is also Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad bus division group director, the holding company for Rapid Bus Sdn Bhd.

He said the final decision on the new routes would be subject to approval from the local authorities and the Land Public Transport Commission.

Launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak in Kuala Lumpur on Nov 30 last year, RapidKuantan is the third public bus network operated by Rapid Bus, after RapidKL and RapidPenang.

It began on a modest scale with only three routes, but within a month, the number of routes was increased to five.

It currently serves 13 routes, covering as far as Pekan and Sungai Lembing and major tourist spots like Teluk Chempedak and Gambang Water Park Resort.

"We are also looking at extending services up to Beserah next year to support the Visit Malaysia Year programme," said Zohari, adding RapidKuantan had helped to promote major tourist attractions here.

He said Rapid Kuantan had also improved the public transport infrastructure in the state, with the construction of a new bus terminal and numerous bus stops.

It has also refurbished existing bus shelters and implemented the integrated bus information system for public convenience.

Zohari said Rapid Bus also planned to build covered walkways, interlocking open walkways and additional bus poles and triangular displays to upgrade the overall quality of the public bus system here.

He said passenger information system panels would also be installed at 31 selected bus stops, while a new ticketing system would be introduced to allow on-board payment via cash and other means next year.

As of September this year, he said the company had hired 153 locals, and would recruit another 122 staff next year to support its growing operations.

~News courtesy of New Straits Times~

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