In an attempt to encourage more people to use public transport in the city, Kuala Lumpur city hall (DBKL) and Rapid Bus have initiated a trial project to implement a dedicated bus lane on Jalan Ampang during peak hours, beginning from today (July 3).
Set to run for six months, the project will cover a three km stretch from the Risda building to the Jalan Tun Razak intersection, and will be in place during the 6am to 9am peak hours on weekdays, with plans to extend it to evening peak hours, from 5pm to 7pm, in the near future. A contraflow lane will be in place for motorists heading to Jalan Tun Razak.
Rapid Bus CEO Muhammad Yazurin Sallij told The Star that the travel time for commuters through Jalan Ampang is expected to be cut by 10 minutes with the dedicated bus lane. He said that the project is targeting 30,000 commuters utilising the service daily, with the objective being for the city to reduce private vehicle usage from 50,000 to 40,000 vehicles.
He said that 36 buses will be utilised during the six-month trial run along Jalan Ampang, comprising double-decker buses for Route 300 and DS01 as well as nine single-deck buses for Route 303, and that the frequency of buses will be double that at present.
“We are targeting a three-minute frequency. The current frequency is seven to 10 minutes. We plan to add four or five buses for the Jalan Ampang route to reduce waiting time,” he told the publication. The Ampang bus route will consist of seven stops, these being at Risda Building, 3 Towers, Gleneagles Hospital, Great Eastern Mall, Perkeso, Ampwalk Mall and at Proton Edar Jalan Ampang.
Muhammad Yazurin said the bus fare will be RM1.90 per ride, but encouraged commuters to pick up the MY50 monthly pass, which would help reduce travel costs. “Commuters can take advantage of the park-and-ride facility at Ampang LRT station that has 1,200 parking bays,” he said, adding that if the trial run is a success, the dedicated bus lane during peak hours will be made a permanent schedule.
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