The Selangor state government says it is hoping to resume its demand-responsive transit (DRT) van service – which ran for eight months as a trial project from November 2023 to July 2024 – by the end of this year.
However, the service, which will be run under the Selangor Mobility initiative, was still at the evaluation stage, with certain aspects still being determined. This includes the business model that will be adopted as well as the service provider that will be chosen, according to state investment, trade and mobility committee chairman Ng Sze Han.
“Fewer than five companies responded during the request for proposal (RFP) stage as they are required to have permits from land public transport agency (APAD) to operate, and we are still evaluating them,” he said.
He said the delay in its implementation is also because Rapid KL was still expanding its own DRT network. “We are working closely with Rapid KL to ensure there is no overlap in areas of coverage when Selangor Mobility resumes, while also maximising both parties’ limited resources,” he explained.
He added that the state government was also in the process of deciding the best business model for the DRT service. It has to decide whether to continue offering subsidies, which was done during the pilot phase, or use a different method altogether.
Ng said that whatever the case, the service will definitely be included as part of the state government’s allocation under Selangor’s Budget 2026, as The Star reports.
He added that the pilot project had provided valuable feedback, which could now be applied to the service when it resumes. “The pilot phase allowed us to run the project and collect data, then conduct an analysis to determine how to best maximise resources and ensure we get maximum returns from every sen spent,” he said.
He said that areas where there had been very good response to the DRT during its trial period, where it covered eight zones across the state through service provider Mobi, were those with universities and colleges.
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