A file picture of a bus lane in Kuala Lumpur.
RAPID Bus Sdn Bhd will step up cooperation with the Transport Ministry to put a stop to private vehicles encroaching into bus lanes by monitoring the lanes through closed circuit television cameras (CCTV), says its chief executive officer Muhammad Yazurin Sallij.
"This is to ensure that bus lanes are not obstructed and to keep the lanes flowing faster in order to encourage the public to use public transport,” he said during Bernama TV’s Ruang Bicara talk show "Optimising the Competency of Rapid Bus Services”, here Friday (July 14) evening.
He said enforcement will include the issuance of compound notices for obstruction of bus lanes by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL).
The local authority will also help to improve the visibility of the lanes by marking them in a brighter colour, he said.
Muhammad Yazurin said Rapid Bus was working with DBKL to keep more than 14 existing bus lanes clear, including at Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, Jalan Raja Laut and Jalan Pahang, which can shorten travel times by up to 10 minutes.
"Without enforcement, we have to add roughly 41 buses, so it is clear that keeping the bus lanes free is more efficient,” he said.
He said the implementation of the Jalan Ampang contra lane for this purpose earlier this month had shown positive results through a 10% increase in bus passengers in the first two weeks.
"Our target for Jalan Ampang is 30,000 passengers. If we can achieve this, our objective of reducing traffic congestion will be met,” he said. - Bernama
