TRANSIT took note of this very interesting news in which Mohd Jaafar Mohd Atan (the newly sworn-in mayor of Shah Alam) has announced that he wants to develop a bus-rapid transit system for the city, which will also provide links to Klang and Subang Jaya.
The mayor has also expressed interest in developing a centralized transit hub and preparing for an LRT extension to Shah Alam.
New bus service to be set up (The Star)
Tuesday April 5, 2011
By ELAN PERUMAL
elan@thestar.com.myA BUS Rapid Transportation (BRT) service will be formed in Shah Alam to connect the city with Klang and Subang Jaya.
Shah Alam mayor Mohd Jaafar Mohd Atan feels the creation of the BRT is vital for a good public transport system.
Shah Alam lacks a centralised transport hub and Jaafar said the city needed to improve the service.
He also said the BRT was a prerequisite in creating an intergrated transport network in Shah Alam in line with the federal government’s plan to expand the LRT network to the city.
“It is our duty to provide the best to the people who have been deprived of a good public transport network.
“We do not even have a centralised bus terminal like those in other towns,” he told reporters after being sworn-in as Shah Alam mayor.
Jaafar, who was the state urban and rural planning department director before his new posting, said it was high time that the city had a rapid bus transportation network that provided extensive coverage throughout the city.
He said the BRT should be able to service the public within Shah Alam and neighbouring towns like Klang and Subang Jaya.
“I expect the buses to stop at the various stations at least at 10-minute frequency.
“While I want the public to enjoy an efficient public transport system, I also hope the BRT will influence more people to use public transport.
“If this can be done then there will be a great reduction in the number of cars on the road.
“It will also help reduce pollution,” he said, adding that it would also help ease traffic congestion on the roads.
Besides servicing the housing estates, Jaafar said BRT service would ferry commuters to other stations like railway stations and the proposed LRT stops.
On the centralised transportation hub, Jaafar said he would be pursuing the idea personally because he felt that the city had long been deprived of such a facility.
He said the centralised hub was essential because it would also play the role of bringing the residents together.
“It will become the landmark or a meeting point for friends and residents,” he said
On the proposed expansion of LRT to the city, Jaafar said he welcomed the idea and urged the government to connect the stops with proper feeder services.
“The stops must also come with pedestrian paths from the bus stops,’’ he added.
TRANSIT Says:
Hearing this news is quite uplifting, since we at TRANSIT have been talking about implementing a Bus Rapid Transit system for Shah Alam that would link with Klang, creating an integrated transport terminal cum park & ride facility (at the Shah Alam Stadium) and extending the Kelana Jaya LRT to Shah Alam (via Batu Tiga KTM station and Shah Alam Stadium).
These ideas of ours gel very well with existing plans & proposals that have been generated in the past. The main difference is that TRANSIT’s proposals are much simpler and focus on building up public transport from basic services to rapid transit to mass rapid transit.
TRANSIT looks forward to hearing more from Shah Alam mayor Mohd Jaafar Mohd Atan on his vision for public transport in Shah Alam, and looks forward to participating in the first public consultations on these projects.
Just for fun, we enclose some photos of what a BRT system in Shah Alam might look like:
Transit Malaysia 
7 replies on “Bus Rapid Transit for Shah Alam?”
The mayor should get more feedback from you guys!
Living in Shah Alam since I was a boy, I do hope the transportation system there can improve to a better standard
Ha, we think he will – whether he likes it or not.
Regards, Moaz for TRANSIT
The question is when will that happen?? We can talk and talk but want to see actions and the finishing products/services!!! Not just talk and talk!!!
That’s why we are going to push the mayor for an action plan.
Today is his 2nd day in office – meaning, open season.
Regards, Moaz for TRANSIT
This sounds really uplifting and inspiring, coz while many are talking about expensive toys such as LRT, not many bureaucrats in the country have a clue about bus. Yet he mentioned proper feeder bus system, apart from BRT…
[…] improvements to facilities in Klang, better community bus service, Bus Rapid Transit in Klang and Shah Alam, revival of bus services in communities that have lost them … etc. Oh, and wouldn't it be […]
11 years from then, still nothing of a BRT in Shah Alam…but then there is an LRT coming soon.