Rapid KL launches ‘Bas Parlimen’, a free mini bus service from KL Sentral and Taman Botani carpark

This cute little bus is officially called the T851 free feeder bus, but let’s call it the Bas Parlimen. That’s because Rapid KL’s latest route is to take people from KL Sentral and the carpark at Taman Botani Perdana to the parliament.

You’re asking why, just like this writer did. Well, it’s because of the lack of parking at the parliament. According to transport minister Anthony Loke 2,000 cars enter parliament on average every day that it is in sitting, but there are only 500 parking bays.

“This means that three-quarters of cars that enter parliament will find it hard to find parking unless you come very, very early. This also affects those who have work at parliament, including the media and officers, who are forced to line up for a very long time every morning to enter parliament and to take their safety passes,” he said today, reported by Malay Mail.

The Seremban MP said that the process of entering parliament can take up to an hour. “We want to provide quality of life. The service is currently on a trial run as a proof of concept. After this, we will see what improvements need to be made,” he added. Now we know.

Provided by Prasarana at a cost of RM800 per day per bus, the T851 starts at KL Sentral’s ERL departure side and heads to the Taman Botani Perdana multi-storey carpark before going to parliament. The Lake Gardens carpark is the nearest big parking facility to parliament. The frequency will be every 30 minutes during peak hours and every hour during non-peak hours.

Bas Parlimen will no doubt be a boon to members of the media covering parliament, but will we also see our Yang Berhormats ride the bus?

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