GEORGE TOWN, June 11 — Rapid Bus Sdn Bhd’s Rapid Penang On-Demand service has recorded positive growth, significantly improving local mobility and public transport access across Penang. Since its phased rollout from August 2024 to May 2025.
The service has expanded to 13 zones — seven on the island and six in Seberang Perai — using 50 vans to serve areas without regular bus routes and enhance first- and last-mile connectivity. The service has seen a strong rise in ridership, with average weekday passenger numbers growing from 159 in February to 1,944 in May, surpassing performance targets.
This represents about 4.1% of Rapid Penang’s total daily ridership of 47,000. To ensure convenience, all vans support cashless payments including debit/credit cards, DuitNow QR, e-wallets, and the Mutiara My50 pass, with 54% of passengers opting for the latter.
In tandem with rising demand, Rapid Bus has launched aggressive marketing campaigns, community engagement efforts, and social media initiatives to educate the public on using the service. With a promotional fare of just RM1 per trip via the Kumpool Kummute app, Rapid Penang On-Demand continues to support a more inclusive and sustainable public transport system for Penangites.
