Penang Free Shuttle Service Begins
In a report in The Sun Daily, a total of 52 buses are set to be purchased, costing around RM15 million. This is one prong of the state’s initiative with RapidPenang with 6 routes set to cover the island and mainland.
Eight buses of the Congestion Alleviation Transport (CAT) free shuttle service will be jointly run by RapidPenang and the state government started plying the Air Itam route from the 2nd of April.
The article in The Sun Daily stated that, the buses are scheduled to be deployed on a 16km loop from the Paya Terubong hub with a 15-minute frequency.
The services are set to begin from 5.30am to 11.45pm and will cover sites such as the government hospital, shopping malls, government offices, and nearby schools. The route additionally passes other areas like Jalan Paya Terubong, Jalan Air Itam, Jalan Semarak Api, Bandar Baru Air Itam, Lebuhraya Thean Tek and Jalan Padang Tembak.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, who was present at the launch, said to The Sun Daily that it was part of the state's commitment towards Penangites. "Hopefully more people will use public transport after this," he said in his speech in front of media personnel.