Electric Rapid Buses on Malaysian roads by 2026
He said the tender had already been called and the awarding of the contract would be made soon.
"The tender has closed. The appointment of the contractor will be made soon. It will take around 12 months to complete.
"Our condition is that these buses must be built locally. Even though the technology may come from other countries, the assembly must be done in our country so that we can benefit from technology transfer and provide opportunities to local companies," he said after the unveiling ceremony of new diesel-powered Rapid Buses for Rapid KL and Rapid Penang.
Loke added that Prasarana Malaysia Bhd (Prasarana) would receive the buses in phases, possibly starting from the second quarter after it has received all the diesel-powered buses.
It would be the last diesel-powered buses to be received by Prasarana.
Prasarana is the owner and operator of Rapid Bus.
In March, Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan said the ministry allocated RM1.9 billion to Prasarana to purchase 1,660 new diesel and electric buses in stages over a period of three years.
He said 310 of the buses would be diesel-engine units, the last batch to use that engine type, while the remaining units would be electric vehicles.
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