The first elevated Bus Rapid Transit (BRT-Sunway Line) was launched on June 1st at its headquarters in Sunway.
The BRT-Sunway Line is the latest initiative aimed at enhancing mobility and reducing traffic congestion in the Klang Valley.
The BRT-Sunway line was implemented under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) programme in collaboration with Prasarana Malaysia Bhd and Sunway Bhd.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak launched the project which combined the convenient features of a light rail transit system with the usage of dedicated lanes, environmentally friendly buses as well as customer-friendly infrastructure.
Najib said that it was his wish to see the development of an efficient public transportation system.
"If you see in develop countries, the people use public transportation even though they have cars. What we need is to promote public transportation," he said.
Najib said that the BRT which used electric buses would be able to reduce carbon footprint.
"There are too many private vehicles on the road and they are the contributing factor of carbon emissions. What we want to do is reduce the emissions," he said.
Najib also hoped that the BRT project would be replicated nationwide.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak speaks to a bus driver during the launch of the first Bus Rapid Transit system in Malaysia at Sunway BRT Complex in Petaling Jaya. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Najjua Zulkefli, June 1, 2015.Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak speaks to a bus driver during the launch of the first Bus Rapid Transit system in Malaysia at Sunway BRT Complex in Petaling Jaya. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Najjua Zulkefli, June 1, 2015."I would like to see this project being carried out in other parts of the country," he said.
Rides on the BRT are free for the first two months beginning tomorrow.
Prasarana chairman Tan Sri Ismail Adam said that the initiative marks a new beginning in the country's public transportation system.
He hoped that the other corporate companies would come forward to collaborate with Prasarana under the PPP.
"We have the experience of building the BRT so we hope the success of this project will inspire other companies to collaborate with us," he said, adding that they have completed the project three weeks ahead of schedule.
Meanwhile, Sunway Group founder and chairman Tan Sri Dr Jeffery Cheah said that he was proud to participate in the PPP together with Prasarana.
He said that the historic partnership underscored the commitment between private companies and the government.
"We believe that this project will serve as a catalyst for other public and private initiatives," he said.
The 5.4km line, which costs RM634 million, is 70% funded by Prasarana, 15% by Sunway Bhd and 15% by the PPP facilitation fund called UKAS.
The BRT system will be utilising 15 electric buses which will serve 500,000 users in Bandar Sunway and Subang Jaya, Selangor.
The BRT has dedicated lanes and environmentally friendly buses that are equipped with disabled friendly features.
There are seven stations and one park-and-ride facility at Sunway University Monash station. A flat rate of RM4 will be charged at the Sunway University Monash station's park-and-ride facility from June 2 to August 1.
Buses will be available every four minutes.
