Electric buses to be operational under Rapid Bus starting 2026
GOMBAK : Electric buses will be operational under Prasarana Malaysia Bhd's Rapid Bus network beginning next year, says transport minister Loke Siew Fook.
He said the selected vendor, appointed through a previous tender process, had been given 12 months to complete the assembly of the electric buses. The initiative is also being supported by the development of key infrastructure.
'This initiative is backed by the construction of charging facilities, along with technical and maintenance training, which are currently underway,' he told reporters after the launch of new diesel buses at the Rapid Bus Complex in Batu Caves.
Also present were Prasarana Malaysia Bhd president and CEO Azharuddin Mat Sah and transport ministry secretary-general Jana Santhiran Muniayan.
A total of 310 diesel buses will be delivered to Prasarana in stages until early next year, with 70 of them set to operate in Penang.
These buses will be the last batch of fossil fuel-powered vehicles, pending the full transition to electric buses.
Loke said the government had mandated that the assembly of electric buses be carried out locally, in collaboration with Malaysian companies.
'We've set a condition that while the electric vehicle technology may come from abroad, the buses must be assembled in Malaysia.
'This is crucial not only to benefit from the technology but also to support local companies and revitalise the domestic bus assembly industry,' he said.
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