KUCHING: Sarawak’s first electric bus will hit the roads this Friday (March 1) enabling locals and visitors here to travel around the city centre with ease.

Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the CRRC electric bus will go on a three-month trial run covering 26 stations that include the Open Air Market, Kuching Waterfront, iCom Square and Sarawak Museum, among others.

“The free electric bus will provide commuters with the convenience to travel around the city centre, especially for those who are from outside Kuching.

“This bus will operate for three months which will be a good gauge for us to assess the suitability of electric buses as a form of public transport,” he said when officiating the CRRC Electric City Bus flag-off ceremony at the Old Courthouse here today.

He pointed out that the passengers traveling aboard the electric bus, which can carry up to 53 passengers, will also be able to enjoy free WiFi.

“Apart from that, commuters will also be able to have real-time monitoring of their bus trips and the exact timing of the bus arrival or journey that they will be taking on the routes via the Kuching Metro app which is now available on iOS and Android,” he remarked.

The electric city bus service route will run on a loop starting from Open Air Market, covering a distance of around 14km.

It will be making 12 trips per day on a one-hour interval from 7am to 6pm.

Also present were Assistant Minister of Transportation Datuk Dr Jerip Susil, Assistant Minister of Youth and Sports Datuk Snowdan Lawan and Henz Pacific Sdn Bhd managing director Henry Lai.