GEORGE TOWN, Dec 17 – Rapid Penang will be introducing the Bus Integrated System (BIS) in 2017. Its chief operating officer, Mohd Shukri Abdul Rahman said the system was an effort by Rapid Penang to facilitate commuting passengers with more efficient and systematic bus service.
“BIS will facilitate passengers as they will know the location and expected arrival time of buses via an application called Bus App. Even though the earlier system, Intelligent Commuter Information System (ICIS) was launched in 2008 to inform passengers of the duration of journey from one location to another, the ICIS was not very accurate and so Rapid Penang took the initiative to upgrade it to the new system which is more precise,” Mohd Shukri said at a lunch with the media here Wednesday.
Mohd Shukri said BIS would also enable a cashless system for passengers who would pay using a smart card issued by Rapid Penang. Through the new system, Rapid Penang would add 36 ‘Passenger System’ to provide bus travel information at selected locations in Penang, he said. Asked if more bus routes would be added in Penang, Mohd Shukri clarified that there would be no additional routes but the number of buses would be increased from 309 to 317 next year.
“We are also creating a Rapid Kamunting bus service based on an MoU with the North Corridor Implementation Authority (NCIA) recently to commence service in February from its Taiping Depot in Perak. In fact 23 employees have been assigned to Taiping Depot, including bus drivers, mechanics and other staff to operate two routes around Taiping and Kamunting with the first route over 25 kms and the second at 11 kms,” he added.
