RapidKL buses

RapidKL bus is the largest bus operator in the Klang Valley, Malaysia. As of 2008, it operates 167 routes with 650 buses covering 980 residential areas with a ridership of about 400,000 per day.[1]

RapidKL bus routes were previously operated by Intrakota Komposit Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of DRB-Hicom Bhd; and Cityliner Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Park May Bhd. When it took over, there were 179 routes. Since January 2006, RapidKL has redrawn the entire network.

RapidKL is however not the only bus operator in Kuala Lumpur and the Klang Valley. Other bus operators such as Metrobus, Len Seng Omnibus Co Ltd. and Selangor Omnibus Co. Ltd also serve the Klang Valley.

Contents

Bus network revamp

In January 2006, RapidKL began its total revamp of the bus routes previously operated by Intrakota and Cityliner which the company inherited. When RapidKL took over operations from the two companies in October 2003, it operated 98 stage bus routes and 39 feeder bus services.

The revamp involved redrawing all its routes and reorganising them based on the "hub and spoke" concept. Four types of bus services were created, namely express routes (EKSPRES), city shuttles (BANDAR), trunk routes (UTAMA) and local shuttles (TEMPATAN).

Express route services operate from point-to-point without or with very few stops in between. City shuttles operate within Kuala Lumpur's central business district, linking five city bus hubs. Trunk route buses run from these hubs to suburban or regional hubs and stop at all regulated bus stops along the way. Local shuttles operate from suburban or regional hubs into residential areas.

Local shuttles will collect passengers from various residential areas and bring them to a suburban or regional hub. Trunk route services will them bring them to city hubs where city shuttle services will bring them the "final mile" to their destinations. This is repeated when travelling the other direction.

According to RapidKL, there are in total three express route services, 15 city shuttle services, 19 trunk route services and 140 local shuttle routes in total. As of September 2006, RapidKL had 849 buses operating on these routes.

RapidKL has also divided up the Klang Valley into six areas and the bus route numbering system to a large extent follows the zone numbers.

The revamp has been met with mixed feelings from commuters.

Arguments in favour of the revamp

Criticisms of the revamp

History

In October 2003, SPNB bought over Intrakota Komposit and its subsidiaries from DRB-Hicom for RM177mil. It also paid RM14mil cash for the 364 buses belonging to Cityliner. The original companies were appointed interim operators.

RapidKL began the first phase of the revamp of its bus network in January 2006 by introducing 15 City Shuttle bus routes which serve major areas in the central business district of Kuala Lumpur. The buses run between four hubs at the edge of the central business district, namely KL Sentral, Titiwangsa, KLCC and Maluri, and Medan Pasar in the city centre. These bus hubs also serve as rail interchanges, with the exception of Medan Pasar, although it is at a walking distance from Masjid Jamek LRT station.

In March 2006, RapidKL revamped the bus network serving Kepong, Selayang, Gombak, Batu Caves, Bandar Sri Damansara and Bandar Manjalara areas which it called Area 2. The areas are now service by four Trunk Routes and 35 Local Shuttle routes when fully implemented. The four trunk routes all begin from the Titiwangsa hub where passengers can change to City Shuttles. At the other end, the trunk routes serve regional hubs where Local Shuttles fan out into the residential suburbs.

On 30 April 2006, the bus network in Area 3 covering Setapak, Ulu Kelang, Wangsa Maju, Keramat, Ampang and Pandan was revamped. Three trunk bus routes serve this area, one from Titiwangsa and two from KLCC while 26 local shuttle routes complete the network for this area.

On 1 July 2006, two express services, four trunk lines and 32 local services were introduced in Area 4. It covers areas including Cheras, Serdang, Kajang, Balakong, Putrajaya, Cyberjaya and Bandar Baru Bangi.

On 23 September 2006, RapidKL's revamp of the Klang Valley's bus network became complete with the introduction of new routes in Area Five which covers Subang Jaya, USJ, Puchong, and Petaling Jaya, Shah Alam and Klang south of the Federal Highway; and Area Six which covers Damansara, Bandar Utama, Kota Damansara and areas of Petaling Jaya, Shah Alam and Klang north of the Federal Highway.

On 21 April 2007, sixteen months after the first step of the first revamp, a second major revamp was undertaken on the entire bus network on grounds of feedback from commuters who wanted the buses to ferry them from their housing estates direct to the city centre, that is with less or without much need to change buses in the middle of their journey.[3]

This revamp saw the routes being adjusted (e.g. B112 [Maluri — KL Sentral], formerly 112, now passes by Jalan Hang Tuah/Pudu/Tun Tan Cheng Lock instead of Jalan Maharajalela/Sultan Sulaiman), extended (T40 [Kajang — Maluri], is now U40 and is extended to Pasar Seni LRT), merged (T41 [Serdang Komuter — Maluri] and 414 [Serdang — Bandar Sungai Long] become U41 [Pasar Seni LRT — Bandar Sungai Long]) or discontinued (route 107 ceased operations on that date).

Advertising services

Using RapidKL buses

Nomenclature

RapidKL bus operates three types of bus services: City Shuttles (Malay: Perkhidmatan bandar), Trunk Buses (Perkhidmatan utama) and Local Shuttles (Perkhidmatan tempatan). There are also point-to-point Express buses (Perkhidmatan ekspres).

City Shuttles have red destination boards, trunk buses have blue boards, local shuttles have green boards and express services have orange boards.

RapidKL has also divided up the Klang Valley into six areas:

Route numbers for city shuttles are prefixed by the letter "B" (for Bandar), e.g. B114. Route numbers for trunk services are prefixed with the letter "U" (for Utama), e.g. U410. Route numbers for the local shuttle are prefixed by the letter "T" (for Tempatan), e.g. T323. Route numbers for the express services are prefixed by the letter "E" (for Ekspres), e.g. E1.

Using the service

RapidKL's new bus system expects users to hop on more than one bus to complete a journey. This is unlike the previous RapidKL bus system and that still in use by other bus operators in the Klang Valley, where most bus services begin in the suburbs, follow a trunk route to the city, then perform a sweep in the city centre before terminating.

Instead, RapidKL's bus users are expected to use a combination of its four types of services to complete journeys. Local Shuttles take users in the suburbs to hubs, usually bus terminals or LRT stations, where users transfer to LRTs or trunk buses to continue their journeys to the city or elsewhere in the Klang Valley. The city centre is served exclusively by City Shuttles.

Fares

Effective 1 September 2009, all rapidKL buses will be issued a single journey tickets for their city shuttle (BANDAR), local shuttle (TEMPATAN) & express (EKSPRES) bus routes which replaced the daily unlimited ride tickets. As for trunk shuttle (UTAMA) bus route, the tickets will be issued based on the number of zones covered. For example, if a person travels across three zones on the trunk shuttle (UTAMA) bus route, the bus fare is RM 2.50 for single journey. The ticket must be kept while on board for inspection by rapidKL officials failure of which the ticket must be purchased again if the ticket is lost while on board during the inspection.

rapidKL single journey bus fares effective 1 September 2009[4]
Type of Pass Adult Concession Notes
City Shuttle (BANDAR) RM 1.00 RM 0.50
Local Shuttle (TEMPATAN) RM 1.00 RM 0.50
Express Bus (EKSPRES) RM 3.80 RM 1.90
rapidKL trunk shuttle (UTAMA) single journey bus fares effective 1 September 2009[4]
Adult (DEWASA) Zone 1 Zone 2 Zone 3 Zone 4 and more
Zone 1 RM 1.00 RM 1.90 RM 2.50 RM 3.00
Zone 2 RM 1.90 RM 1.00 RM 1.90 RM 2.50
Zone 3 RM 2.50 RM 1.90 RM 1.00 RM 1.90
Zone 4 and more RM 3.00 RM 2.50 RM 1.90 RM 1.00
rapidKL trunk shuttle (UTAMA) single journey bus fares effective 1 September 2009[4]
Concession (KONSESI) Zone 1 Zone 2 Zone 3 Zone 4 and more
Zone 1 RM 0.50 RM 0.90 RM 1.20 RM 1.50
Zone 2 RM 0.90 RM 0.50 RM 0.90 RM 1.20
Zone 3 RM 1.20 RM 0.90 RM 0.50 RM 0.90
Zone 4 and more RM 1.50 RM 1.20 RM 0.90 RM 0.50

Note: Sales of the SEMUA and SEPADU tickets have been abandoned on 1 March 2008 and it is replaced by Touch 'n Go card (except for concession fares). By 1 September 2009, all daily passes including BANDAR, UTAMA, TEMPATAN & EKSPRES have been replaced with a new zoning system. The Zonal Bus Fares is a single journey ticket.

Monthly travel cards or rapidpass are also issued and these may be purchased from all rail stations and bus terminals from the 24th to the 7th of every month.

rapidKL Unlimited Monthly Fares[4]
Type of Pass Fares Comments
rapidpass Integrated (INTEGRASI) RM 150.00 Valid on all rapidKL bus routes for BANDAR, UTAMA, TEMPATAN & EKSPRES plus rapidKL Kelana Jaya Line, Ampang Line, and KL Monorail.
rapidpass LRT Integrated (LRT) RM 100.00 Valid on rapidKL Kelana Jaya Line, Ampang Line & KL Monorail only.
rapidpass Bus (SEMUA) RM 100.00 Valid on all rapidKL bus routes for BANDAR, UTAMA & TEMPATAN only.
rapidpass Bus Concession (KONSESI) RM 50.00 Valid on all rapidKL bus routes for BANDAR, UTAMA & TEMPATAN to Concession card holders only.
rapidpass Local Bus (TEMPATAN) RM 40.00 Valid on all rapidKL bus routes for TEMPATAN only.

+ Spouse and a total of 4 kids under 15 years old are allowed to accompany the pass holder FREE on weekends and public holidays.

Concession Holders

Schedules

Detailed schedules of bus services are not published, although headway information and operating hours is publicly available.

Headway:

There are scheduled services that are not subject to the above headways.

RapidBET - Rapid Bus Express Transit

BET is a system where the buses utilise less congested highways to link heavily populated areas and the city centre. Naturally, by using the highways, travel time is reduced as the highways are less congested than the normal routes. The service will have limited stops and rely on feeder buses and park-n-ride facilities to ensure sufficient ridership. With BET, travel time is expected to be reduced by up to 50 percent on certain BETs.

The routes are:

RapidBET services are only available on weekdays and during the morning and evening peak hours only. For this initial introductory stage, BET will run at 15 to 20-minute intervals during the morning and evening peak hours. Frequency and service periods will be increased at a later stage depending on the demand for each route.

Buses for BET routes are about four to six buses initially and will be reviewed from time to time as the demand grows. BET is more of an enhancement to the current services, whereby the focus is more to shorten the travel time.

Detailed headway information and operating hours is available at RapidKL's website.

List of rapidKL bus routes

It is effective 16 November 2009.

Area One

Kuala Lumpur City Centre (Central Business District)
Route
Number
Origin Via Destination Remarks
B103 Titiwangsa Hospital Pusrawi - Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz - Jalan Tun Razak - Ampang Park LRT - Jalan Sultan Ismail Bukit Bintang via KLCC
B112 KL Sentral Pasar Seni - Tung Shin Hospital - Pudu LRT - Jalan Loke Yew - Hang Tuah LRT - SMK Cochrane Perkasa - Jusco Taman Maluri Maluri LRT
B114 Maluri LRT Stadium Badminton Kuala Lumpur - Jusco Taman Maluri - Jalan Tun Razak - KLCC LRT - Ampang Park LRT - Jalan Yap Kwan Seng - Jalan Tun Razak - Menara TH Selborn - Institut Jantung Negara (IJN) - National Library Titiwangsa
B115 Pasar Seni Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock - Kota Raya - Jalan Tun Perak - Masjid Jamek LRT - Jalan Sultan Salahuddin - Jalan Duta - Duta Vista Condominium - Jalan Khidmat Usaha - Kompleks Mahkamah Jalan Duta Kompleks Kerajaan Jalan Duta (Mondays to Fridays only)

Area Two

Selayang, Kepong and Gombak[5]
Route
Number
Origin Destination Remarks
U1 Pinggiran Batu Caves Pasar Seni
U2 Taman Greenwood Pasar Seni
U2A Pinggiran Batu Caves Pasar Seni
U3 Bandar Baru Selayang Medan Pasar
U4 Desa Aman Puri Medan Pasar
U5 Taman Melati LRT Lebuh Ampang
U6 Taman Jasa Utama Medan Pasar via Taman Batu Muda
U7 Segambut Dalam Bangkok Bank
U8 Damansara Damai Medan Pasar
U10 Pinggiran Batu Caves Pasar Seni via Taman Batu Muda
U11 Taman Sri Sinar Bangkok Bank via Medan Pasar
U12 International Islamic University Lebuh Ampang UIA Gombak
U13 Taman Ehsan Medan Pasar
U14 Taman Sri Segambut Bangkok Bank
U201 Batu 12,Gombak Chow Kit via Bandar Baru Sentul
U209 Taman Selayang Jaya Medan Pasar
U222 Jinjang Utara Medan Pasar
U224 Bandar Dato' Senu Pasar Seni
T203 Terminal PUTRA LRT Pinggiran Batu Caves
T204 Kampung Nakhoda Taman Greenwood
T205 Taman Melati LRT Danau Kota
T223 Taman Dato Senu Titiwangsa
T225 Kompleks Sungai Mas Taman Mastiara
T226 Taman Melati LRT Taman Melewar
T229 Jusco Metro Prima Warta Lama
T231 Terminal PUTRA LRT Universiti Islam Antarabangsa (UIA)

Area Three

Setapak, Wangsa Maju and Ampang[6]
Route
Number
Origin Destination Remarks
BET7 Sri Nilam Lebuh Ampang via AKLEH
U20 Taman Melawati Titiwangsa LRT via Jalan Genting Klang
U21 AU3 Keramat/Ukay Perdana Chow Kit via KLCC LRT
U22 Sri Nilam Apartment Lebuh Ampang via Bandar Baru Ampang
U23 Taman Melawati Lebuh Ampang via Jalan Enggang
U24 Section 2 Wangsa Maju Bukit Bintang KL monorail via kotaraya
U25 Wangsa Walk Mall/ Section 10 Wangsa Maju Lebuh Ampang via Sri Rampai LRT
U26 Taman Bukit Indah Lebuh Ampang via Ampang Jaya
U27 Sri Nilam Apartment Bukit Bintang KL Monorail via Jalan Cheras
U28 Taman Mulia Jaya Lebuh Ampang via Kampung Lembah Jaya
U29 Taman Mulia Jaya Lebuh Ampang via Kampung Baru Ampang
U30 Pandan Mewah Lebuh Ampang via Sri Nilam Apartment
U31 Pandan Indah Bukit Bintang KL Monorail
U32 Taman Dagang Bukit Bintang KL Monorail via Kampung Pandan
U33 Ayer Panas Lebuh Ampang via Kampung Baru
U34 Wangsa Maju LRT Ampang Point
U35 Pandan Indah Kotaraya via Bukit Bintang KL Monorail
U36 Taman Dagang Chow Kit via Kotaraya
U332 Lembah Jaya Utara Lebuh Ampang via KLCC LRT
T301 Taman Permata Wangsa Maju LRT
T302 Section 10,Wangsa Maju Wangsa Maju LRT
T304 Taman Melawati Wangsa Maju LRT
T305 Ukay Perdana Wangsa Maju LRT
T307 Ampang Point Dato' Keramat LRT
T309 AU3 Jentayu Setiawangsa LRT
T312 Jalan Genting Kelang Wangsa Maju LRT
T320 Ampang Point Ampang LRT via Taman Bukit Indah
T323 Sri Nilam Apartment Cempaka LRT via Taman Mawar
T324 Taman Bukit Peramai Cempaka LRT via Pandan Indah
T326 Pandan Indah Maluri LRT
T327 Taman Shamelin Perkasa Maluri LRT
T328 Ampang Point Pandan Indah LRT station
T329 Taman Dagang Maluri LRT
T330 Desa Pandan Dato' Keramat LRT

Area Four

Cheras, Kajang, Sg.Besi and Putrajaya[7]
Route
Number
Origin Destination Remarks
BET2 Bandar Sungai Long Pasar Seni via the Grand Saga Cheras Kajang Highway
BET8 Semenyih Sentral Pasar Seni
E1 Pasar Seni Putrajaya Sentral
U40 Terminal Bas Kajang Pasar Seni
U41 Bdr Sg Long/ Mahkota cheras Pasar Seni
U42 Putrajaya Sentral Serdang KTM Komuter
U43 Putrajaya Sentral Bandar Utama
U44 Bandar Sri Permaisuri Bukit Bintang KL Monorail
U45 Bandar Tun Razak Bukit Bintang KL Monorail
U46 Bdr Damai Perdana Bukit Bintang KL Monorail
U47 Taman Awana/ Taman Segar Bukit Bintang KL Monorail
U48 Desa Petaling Bukit Bintang KL Monorail
U49 Damai Perdana Pasar Seni
U410 Taman Megah/ Tmn Tun Perak Bukit Bintang KL Monorail
U411 Cheras Perdana/Taman Impian Ehsan Kotaraya
U415 Beranang Prima Saujana
U416 UPM Serdang / Taman Seri Serdang Serdang KTM Komuter
U423 TUDM Sungai Besi Pasar Seni
U429 Putrajaya Sentral Cyberjaya Transport Terminal (CTT)
U432 Putra Permai Kotaraya
T405 Taman Cuepacs Bandar Tasik Selatan station
T408 Taman Segar Bus Hub Bandar Tasik Selatan station
T410 Bandar Tun Hussein Onn Batu 10
T417 Balakong Jaya Serdang KTM Komuter
T418 Sri Petaling Technology Park Malaysia
T421 Taman Gembira Bandar Tasik Selatan station
T422 Bukit Jalil LRT Bandar Tasik Selatan station
T424 Desa Tasik Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia HUKM
T430 Kajang Town Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia UKM
T431 Kajang Town MARA Polytech
T433 Salak Selatan LRT Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (HUKM) via Bandar Sri Permaisuri
Pasar Seni refers to Terminal Jalan Sultan Mohamad

Area Five

Klang, Shah Alam Selatan, Bandar Sunway, Subang Jaya, Jalan Klang Lama & Puchong[8]
Route
Number
Origin Destination Remarks
BET3 Subang Mewah, USJ 8 Pasaramakota
BET4 Taman Sri Muda, Shah Alam Pasaramakota
U91 Klang Kotaraya
U60 Puchong Utama Pasaramakota
U62 Klang Sunway Pyramid
U63 USJ 8 Subang Jaya / Subang Mewah Pasaramakota via The Summit Subang USJ
U64 Taman Sri Muda, Shah Alam Pasaramakota
U65 Taman Alam Megah, Shah Alam / Putra Height Pasaramakota via Section 20 Shah Alam
U66 Taman Medan Pasaramakota via Petaling Jaya
U67 USJ 8 Subang Jaya Pasaramakota via Subang Parade (near Subang Jaya KTM Komuter)
U68 Taman Sri Manja / Taman Sri Sentosa Pasaramakota
U69 Putra Perdana Pasaramakota via Batu 14 Puchong
U70 Taman Puchong Prima Pasaramakota
U71 Sri Petaling LRT Pasaramakota via Taman Gembira
U72 Taman Desa Pasaramakota
U73 Taman Overseas Union (OUG) Pasaramakota
U74 Pantai Hill Park Pasaramakota
U75 Petaling Jaya Old Town Pasaramakota via Pantai Dalam
U75A KTM PANTAI DALAM Pasaramakota (Spotted recently on 5 December 2011)
U76 KL Sentral Subang Parade (near Subang Jaya KTM Komuter) via Jalan Klang Lama
T504 Batu 3 Jalan Klang Lama OG Heights
T505 Taman Jaya LRT Taman Bukit Kuchai via Taman Sri Sentosa
T506 TESCO Puchong Bintang Kinrara
T507 TESCO Puchong Bandar Kinrara
T508 IOI Mall Taman Wawasan Puchong
T509 IOI Mall Puchong Utama
T510 Puchong Utama Taman Puchong Prima
T511 IOI Mall Puchong Prima
T513 Puchong Utama Saujana Puchong
T515 Puchong Utama Pulau Meranti
T523 USJ 8 Subang Jaya Subang Parade (near Subang Jaya KTM Komuter)
T526 Section 15 Shah Alam Taman Alam Megah
T527 Tesco Shah Alam Subang Mas
T528 Hentian Bandar Shah Alam Taman Sri Muda via Section 20 Shah Alam
T529 Hentian Bandar Shah Alam Shah Alam KTM Komuter
T530 Taman Sri Muda, Shah Alam Kota Kemuning

Area Six

Shah Alam Utara, Subang, Damansara, Petaling Jaya Utara, Bangsar & Kota Damansara[9]
Route
Number
Origin Destination Remarks
BET1 Kota Damansara Pasar Seni via the Penchala Link
U80 UiTM Section 2 Shah Alam Pasaramakota
U81 Mah Sing Terminal Jalan Sultan Mohamad via Subang Baru
U82 KL Sentral Bandar Utama via Pusat Bandar Damansara
U83 KL Sentral Kompleks Kerajaan Jalan Duta via Pusat Bandar Damansara (Mondays to Fridays only)
U84 Kelana Jaya, Section SS 6 & 7 Petaling Jaya Pasaramakota
U85 Taman Paramount LRT Pasaramakota via SEA Park, Section SS 2 Petaling Jaya
U86 Bandar Utama Jusco Metro Prima via Bandar Sri Damansara
U87 Bangsar Park Pasaramakota via Mid Valley Megamall
U88 Section 8 Kota Damansara Pasaramakota via SEA Park, SS 2 Petaling Jaya /Mid Valley Megamall
U89 Kelana Jaya LRT Section 6 Kota Damansara via Damansara Utama
U90 UiTM Puncak Alam Hentian Bandar Shah Alam
U601 Hentian Bandar Shah Alam Jalan Batu Tiga Lama, Klang
U605 Hentian Bandar Shah Alam Puncak Perdana
U618 Titiwangsa Kompleks Kerajaan Jalan Duta / Kuarters Kiaramas (Mondays to Fridays only)
U623 Kelana Jaya LRT Sunway Pyramid - Subang Parade (near Subang Jaya KTM Komuter)
T600 UiTM Puncak Alam Bandar Puncak Alam
T602 Hentian Bandar Shah Alam Section 4,6,8,9 Shah Alam
T603 UiTM Section 2 Shah Alam (main campus) Kolej Meranti & Kolej Jati
T604 UiTM Section 2 Shah Alam Section 7 Shah Alam
T607 Kelana Jaya LRT Lembah Subang / Ara Damansara
T608 Subang Perdana Bukit Subang
T610 Subang Perdana Subang Bistari / Mah Sing Industrial Park
T622 Kelana Jaya LRT Taman Mayang Mas
T624 Kelana Jaya LRT Section SS 7 Kelana Jaya / Stadium MBPJ
T625 Taman Bahagia LRT Section SS 3,4,5,6 Kelana Jaya
T626 Taman Bahagia LRT Damansara Jaya - Damansara Utama - Section SS 2 Petaling Jaya
T627 Taman Paramount LRT Sungai Way & Kampung Tunku, Petaling Jaya
T628 Asia Jaya LRT Section 14 & 17 Petaling Jaya
T629 Asia Jaya LRT Phileo Damansara I & II - Universiti Hospital (On RapidKL page there is also route T629B)
T631 Universiti LRT Mid Valley Megamall
T632 Bukit Angkasa Universiti LRT
T633 Kerinchi LRT Pantai Hill Park
T634 Bangsar LRT Pusat Bandar Damansara via Jalan Maarof
T635 Universiti LRT Universiti Islam Antarabangsa via Universiti Hospital

Rapid KL bus model

Bus Model Type Image
King Long XMQ6121G
Scania K270UB
Dong Feng DHZ6120RC2 Example

See also

Notes and references

External links