Rapid Penang

Infobox_Company
company_name = Rapid Penang Sdn Bhd
(Rapid Penang)
company_
company_type = Private limited
company_slogan =
foundation = June 2007
location = Penang,
flagicon|Malaysia Malaysia
area_served = Penang, Malaysia
key_people = Azhar Ahmad (CEO)
products = Public buses transportation
industry = Public transportation operation
parent =RapidKL
owner = Ministry of Finance, Malaysia
homepage = http://www.rapidpg.com.my

Rapid Penang, an abbreviation for Rapid Penang Sendirian Berhad, is a government-owned company set up to operate bus services in Penang state in Malaysia. Rapid Penang began operations on 31 July, 2007.

This is the second public transport operating company set up by the Malaysian government. The first was RapidKL which was set up in 2004 to take over light rail transit operations and a large portion of the bus network in Kuala Lumpur.

Rapid Penang is a subsidiary of RapidKL. Like RapidKL, the assets to be operated by Rapid Penang belong to Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad (National Infrastructure Company Limited).

Background

The Malaysian Federal government's move to operate bus services in Penang came about when the ailing bus network in the state started showing signs of collapse. [Citation |last=Singh |first=Sharanjit |title=RapidKL to manage Penang buses |newspaper=New Straits Times |pages=22 |year=2007 |date=20 February 2007]

The bus operators of Penang have been facing financial difficulties for many years but the situation became critical when one of Penang's largest and best known bus companies, the Yellow Bus Company Berhad, which had been operating for 58 years, suddenly stopped running on 1 January 2004, leaving thousands of commuters stranded. [Citation |last=Ng |first=Su-Ann |title=End of the road for Yellow Bus after 58 years |newspaper=The Star |pages=19 |year=2004 |date=2 January 2004] On 1 April 2006, the Penang state government revamped the entire bus network in the hope of improving the bus service in the state. Under the revamped routes, bigger buses were made to run along "trunk" routes while minibuses ran "feeder" routes which branched off trunk routes. [Citation |last=Tan |first=Emmeline |last2=K |first2=Kasturi Dewi |title=New bus system starts today |newspaper=The Star (Penang final edition) |pages=16 |year=2006 |date=1 April 2004] The revamp however failed to improve the situation [Citation |last=Yeng |first=Ai Chun |title=Bus system in a mess |newspaper=The Star |pages=3 |year=2006 |date=04 July 2006] , leading the Penang state government to state that it was looking at following the revamp which Kuala Lumpur underwent. [Citation |last= |first= |title=KL bus system for Penang |newspaper=The Star |pages=28 |year=2006 |date=24 August 2006] In February 2007, Penang chief minister Dr Koh Tsu Koon announced that the Federal government had agreed to operate a bus service in the state. [Citation |last=Singh |first=Sharanjit |title=RapidKL to manage Penang buses |newspaper=New Straits Times |pages=22 |year=2007 |date=20 February 2007]

On 31 July 2007, Rapid Penang began operations after being launched by Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as part of his Northern Corridor Economic Region initiative.

Routes

Rapid Penang released brochures and posters with schematic diagrams with details of its routes just before its launch on 31 July 2007. Like RapidKL in Kuala Lumpur, buses are also divided into U or Utama (Trunk) routes, and T or Tempatan (Local) routes.

Penang Island routes

Bus Fare

Newest Updated bus fare from Rapid Penang's Official Website

Routine

Popularity of Service

Rapid Penang's bus service growth surprised which total passengers which has tripled then what the management had expected, especially on weekends. The service attracts most student and immigrant workers to use the service which offers better comfort then the previous bus operators. On weekends, most long distance (over 28 km) route carries passengers which causing the interior of the bus like sardine can.

Important dates

*19 February 2007: Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is also Finance Minister, said RapidKL will begin bus operations in Penang and appointing Douglas David as the Chief Executive Officer Of Rapid PENANG.A day later, Finance Ministry parliamentary secretary Dr Hilmi Yahaya uses the name Rapid Penang for the first time.
*25 February 2007: Second Finance Minister Nor Mohamed Yakcop says Rapid Penang will start services in August 2007 with a fleet of 150 buses at a cost of RM50mil.
*6 July 2007: Rapid Penang takes delivery of its first 30 new buses.
*13 July 2007: Rapid Penang takes delivery of all 150 new buses.
*31 July 2007: Rapid Penang begins operations after being launched by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
*1 February 2008: Penang Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon launched Rapid Penang's official website.
*5 February 2008: Rapid Penang bus drivers go on strike, as a reaction to the management's alleged rejection of their demands for better pay and perks [cite news|author=See, B. et. al.|title=Bus drivers on strike|publisher=The Star|url=http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/2/6/nation/20247246&sec=nation|date=2008-02-05|accessdate=2008-02-06]
*28 March 2008: Rapid Penang buses no longer stop at the Komtar bus interchange after one of its bus captains was threatened with a parang on 23 March 2008 and multiple times of threats and harassments from other bus operator's drivers.
*7 April 2008: Rapid Penang buses are stopping again at Komtar, after skipping the bus interchange for 10 days after receiving assurance from acting state police chief Senior Asst Comm (I) Datuk Salleh Mat Rasid on 4 April 2008 that the police would ensure the safety of its drivers.

See also

* RapidKL
* Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad

External links

* [http://www.rapidpg.com.my/ Rapid Penang Official Site]
* [http://www.penang.gov.my/index.php?ch=1&pg=93&ac=652&lang=eng&format=penanginfo Rapid Penang Information via Penang Government Official Website]
* [http://www.prasarana.com.my/ Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad]
* [http://www.rapidkl.com.my/ RapidKL]

References