KUALA TERENGGANU: Kuala Terengganu will become the first city in the country to incorporate the use of electric buses as the state gears up to transform its public transport service through the myBAS service.



This service improvement is part of the Land Public Transport Commission’s (SPAD) Stage Bus Service Transformation programme.



Plying a total area of almost 236km, it will complement Terengganu’s existing bus service, which only covers a route of about 100km.



Terengganu Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Razif Abdul Rahman hopes to expand the improved system to other parts of the state.



“The people will have a lot to gain. We want to solve the traffic congestion issue here before it gets worse,” he said after the contract signing ceremony between SPAD and bus service operator Mara Liner Sdn Bhd at an event on Thursday.



The myBAS service will drive through seven trunk routes and a feeder route, enable wider connectivity and integration for commuters.



The service, which is expected to start in the second quarter of 2018, will be rolled out in three phases.



The charge for the electronic bus service will match existing bus fares of between 90 sen and RM2.50.



Ahmad Razif said the first phase will cover most of the city centre and some of its outskirts, which he hopes will enable tourists access to more of the state’s attractions.



The second and third phases will be rolled out in subsequent quarters.



About 30 new buses will be deployed in Terengganu’s myBAS service, with 30% of them being electric buses.



Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri described the use of the electric buses as a positive development driven by the Government’s vision for a reliable and sustainable bus service.



“It is good for the environment as these buses have a very small carbon footprint, do not produce smoke and run more silently than diesel buses,” she said.



She added that clean and sustainable energy is the way forward, which the Government is moving towards.



“The transformation can take place in about 10 years – we don’t even have to wait for 2050.



“We hope that its implementation here will inspire other states to incorporate electric buses to their existing public transport services,” she said, adding that SPAD is ready to give any advice on implementation.



SPAD’s Stage Bus Service Transformation programme was introduced in 2015 with an RM100mil investment to drive the myBAS service in five capital cities as part of a project to improve mobility and access where stage buses are the main mode of public transportation.

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