KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 8 ― At the Bukit Indah RapidKL bus hub on a Monday, about 12 people queued to board a 27-seater Hino bus that measured eight metres long.

It was 8am. Most were migrant workers who lived around Taman Indah or Bukit Indah. Some were domestic helpers, others ― including locals ― worked in the retail sector.

The new bus service, a trial run that operators RapidKL said is meant to solve the “first-mile coverage”, makes its last stop at the Ampang Point mall, a bustling hub and a converging point for buses that service several primary routes around Ampang, a densely populated constituency east of the capital city.

This makes it ideal for commuters who want to cut their travel time shorter. Because of the ample number of buses that pass through the Ampang Point hub heading into central Kuala Lumpur, the mini bus helps commuters access these buses via the Ampang Point station.

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“I think it’s faster this way,” said Ahmad, a migrant worker from Bangladesh who works as a cleaner at a major corporation’s headquarters on Jalan Ampang.

“But honestly I haven’t really timed (the difference)... so we’ll see.”

RapidKL said its T300 mini bus route (Bukit Indah-Taman Rasmi Jaya-Ampang Jaya-Ampang Point) is meant to service dense residential areas with little access to existing transit systems by linking commuters to the nearest major public transport system from their homes.

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Critics have always cited poor first- and last-mile connectivity as the main factor hindering public transit use and fostered dependency on less sustainable modes of transportation like private cars or motorcycles.

The country’s car ownership per household rate was globally the third highest in 2014.

As part of efforts to address this, the authorities streamlined the bus system within Selangor and Kuala Lumpur in the late 90s, and again at the turn of the century to coincide with the introduction of the two major light rail transit (LRT) lines by consolidating existing bus companies into a single operator.

‘Notoriously fast’

As a result, dozens of the city’s loosely regulated private mini bus operators, which at its height in the 80s and 90s surpassed much bigger competitors to become the most preferred mode of public transportation among Selangor and city folks, had to shut down.

These mini buses, initially painted different colours and numbers according to the respective routes, were later all painted a uniform bright pink; each had a capacity of only up to 20 passengers but often loaded riders far beyond its limit.

For many, this was testament to the mini buses’ popularity. Despite the presence of much larger air-conditioned buses, commuters then had no qualms about hopping onto a packed mini bus because they were almost always available.

They were notoriously fast too, prompting safety concerns.

So it was not surprising to see RapidKL’s re-introduction of the mini bus greeted by much excitement.

Social media was abuzz as KLites and Selangor folks reminisced about a simpler time when the bus was still considered an efficient transit service and also much cheaper ― a full length trip on a mini bus cost only 60 sen then.

RapidKL’s mini bus is not quite the same though. While fares are still cheaper at a ringgit for a single trip, the new mini buses travel a much shorter distance; they act as a supplementary service to the buses that run the major routes.

For commuters this means additional expenditure, although some passengers said it was a small sacrifice to make since it helps them reach their destination faster.

“If it helps me catch a faster bus at Ampang Point, I’m okay with paying a ringgit,” said Noryati, who would otherwise wait for the T304 bus, which services a primary route heading into central KL.

“Waiting for the T304 can take some time. So for someone who takes the bus frequently, I welcome the mini bus.”

Sustainable?

RapidKL, which has struggled to keep up with demand, said cutting travel time was among the key reasons driving the mini bus project.

For the T300 route, the operator Rapid Bus said it aims to pick up passengers once every 15 minutes during morning and evening peak hours (5.30am to 9am and 4.30pm to 8pm) and once every 25 minutes during off-peak hours.

Currently three buses are deployed with six drivers doing two shifts that ends with a final trip at 11.40pm.

But manoeuvring through traffic in Kuala Lumpur can be tough so whether or not the T300 mini buses can maintain punctuality will hinge heavily on traffic, tricky for a city known for its severe congestion.

And as with all bus systems, there are concerns over financial sustainability. RapidKL is already bleeding trying to keep its bus and rail services afloat. Its operation now mainly relies on government subsidies.

Supporters of the new service will likely say it is still too early to gauge the success of the mini bus, but there are concerns that adding a new service when ride shares on existing operations remain fairly low could strain the company’s finances further.

“Public transport has to be the preferred choice of transportation instead of being a poor man’s choice,” Ajit Johl, head of the Public Transport Users Association (4PAM), said even as he welcomed RapidKL’s mini bus service announcement.

“Only then can they become sustainable… but I’m confident it can work. You can already see congestions in the city are less and more are taking public transport.”

As of Tuesday, the T300 bus ferried only about 100 passengers during morning peak hours.

Muhammad Yazurin Sallij, chief executive of Rapid Bus, was quoted as saying last Thursday that the T300 pilot run is meant to collect data on “suitability”, cost and capacity.

The idea to use a smaller bus as a supplementary service came from observations that found areas with smaller roads like the PPR flats or low cost housing estates are less serviced. These areas tend to have the most number of public transport users.

“We are looking at opportunities for us to use a smaller bus so that we can reach more areas especially at PPRs as larger buses can't enter,” he said.

“This is because most of the time those lanes have cars parked on the left and right side of the road.”