Developments in Penang

Two articles about public transport in Penang have caught the attention of TRANSIT.

Buses for the disabled

RAPID Penang began deploying disabled-friendly buses with six put on the streets yesterday.

The buses operate on the 101 Batu Feringghi – Weld Quay – Batu Ferringhi route with the first bus leaving the Batu Ferringhi terminal behind Holiday Inn Hotel at 7am.

The buses stop at Jalan Tanjung Bungah, Jalan Tanjung Tokong, Jalan Bagan Jermal, Jalan Burma, Jalan Pangkor, Jalan Perak, Jalan Macalister, Jalan Penang, Jalan Transfer, Jalan Sri Bahari, Jalan Penang, Lebuh Chulia, Gat Lebuh Chulia, Pengkalan Weld and Persiaran King Edwards on their way to Weld Quay.

On the return journey, they stop at Lebuh Chulia, Gat Lebuh Chulia, Jalan Penang, Jalan Dr Lim Chwee Leong, Jalan Ria, Komtar bus terminal, Jalan Magazine, Jalan Burma, Jalan Pangkor, Jalan Perak, Jalan Burma, Jalan Bagan Jermal, Jalan Tanjung Tokong and Jalan Tanjung Bungah.

Rapid Penang creative and communica- tions manager Yap Lee Ying said the last bus would leave the Batu Ferringhi terminal at 7.05pm and the Weld Quay bus terminal at 8.20pm.

“The fares range from RM1 to RM3 depending on the distance.

“The buses frequent bus stops along the route every 10 minutes compared to 20 minutes before this,” she said yesterday.

Yap said half of the remaining 194 disabled-friendly buses would soon be added to the current routes on the island while the other half would ply existing routes and 13 new routes on the mainland.

For details, call the creative and communications department at 04-2381313 ext 223, 216 and 203.

Rapid development
Thursday July 2, 2009
By K. KASTURI DEWI

Room for 20 buses: An artist’s impression
of the proposed sub-depot for Rapid Penang.

A PROPOSAL submitted by Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd (SPNB) and Rapid Pe-nang to the Penang Municipal Council (MPPP) to build a bus sub-depot next to the KGN flats in Weld Quay is expected to be approved within a month, state Local Government and Traffic Management Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow said.

He said the sub-depot on the 0.7ha plot owned by SPNB would be able to accommodate about 20 buses.

“The sub-depot will be convenient for buses leaving on early despatch from Weld Quay. It will take two months to be completed,” he told reporters during a visit to the site yesterday.

Rapid Penang’s other sub- depots are located in Tanjung Bungah, Balik Pulau and Batu Ferringhi while a similar depot is planned in Kepala Batas.

Chow said Rapid Penang was also expanding its main depot in Sungai Nibong by 0.6ha to accommodate 90 more buses from the current 160 buses on its present 1.8ha site.

He said the expansion was ex-pected to be completed by the end of this month.

Other plans include converting the parking area next to the ferry terminal in Weld Quay into a temporary bus terminal and to have a bus interchange in Sungai Nibong in front of the express bus terminal.

“The other new interchanges will be at Farlim, Batu Ferringhi and Bukit Jambul,” Chow said.

He also said the MPPP would complete upgrading works at the Komtar bus interchange in three months.

Chow said the projects came under the second stimulus package.

“Since there is a time frame for these projects to be implemented, I have directed MPPP to speed up processing the necessary approvals,” he said.

Rapid Penang chief executive officer Azhar Ahmad, who was present during the visit, said the sub-depot in Weld Quay would be planted with a lot of trees.

He said Rapid Penang nee- ded the new facilities in view of the arrival of the 200 new buses.

“The first batch of 12 new buses arrived in June and we will take delivery of 12 new buses every two weeks,” he said.

Azhar said of the 30 buses that were leased from RapidKL, 10 would be returned this month and the rest later.