Tremendous growth in ridership for Smart Selangor service in Klang

PETALING JAYA (sept 7): The Smart Selangor free bus service plying two routes in Klang have seen “a tremendous increase” in ridership, Klang Municipal Council (MPK) revealed.

According to a report by The Star, ridership on the KLG1 route had surpassed the one-million mark while KLG2 had crossed the half-million mark, said the council’s Town Planning Department director Zailani Panot.

“The Town Planning Department’s public transport unit sees the free bus service as a catalyst to revive certain commercial areas and I think it will allow senior citizens to be more mobile and active.

“Both routes are seeing a strong growth in ridership. Up to last year, KLG1 saw 1,239,779 passengers while KLG2 saw 539,709 riders.

“Due to the ridership increase on both routes, the department’s public transport unit added another line on Aug 1 that covers the Klang Sentral-Meru-Kapar route,” Zailani explained.

The report by the daily also stated that good frequency with arrivals of every 15 minutes as well as the availability of an app to monitor the estimated arrival time and routes had helped to boost ridership of the free bus service.

Zailani added that MPK’s aim is “to enable more Klang folk to gain access to the free service”.

“Other than the SITS app, free WiFi and CCTV cameras on the Smart Selangor bus for safety provide commuters with a good experience,” he added.

MPK’s Town Planning Department’s public transport unit urban planner Norhayati Mohd Ladzim explained to the daily that “much effort was made in deciding the bus stops” to make things easier for commuters.

“Our aim is to help students get free transport. It is also for housewives going to the market and senior citizens heading to the government hospital,” she added.