SHAH ALAM: Rapid Bus Sdn Bhd and Volvo Buses Malaysia today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), formalising the implementation of a trial operation of the new electric city bus Volvo BZL-GML Eco Range for Rapid KL bus service.
Rapid Bus chief executive officer Muhammad Yazurin Sallij Muhammad Yasin said the trial run which is expected to commence on early July involving one unit of the eco friendly bus, will frequent various routes in the Klang Valley in order to collect related data on suitability of the unit on Malaysian roads.
He said, the trial operation which is expected to run from six months to a year is also one of Rapid Bus initiative in carrying out the Transport Ministry directive to stop the procurement of diesel fuelled buses after the delivery of said vehicles arrived in the first quarter of 2025.
"A few months ago the Transport Minister Anthony Loke has mentioned that our latest diesel bus procurement will be the last, and in that sense the government is looking on how we can expedite the electric buses (implementation) given that we also now have New Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR).
"Insya-Allah very soon we will call for ev bus tender...and the plan for Rapid Bus to be (using) 100 per cent electric buses hopefully can be reached before 2037," he said during the press conference after signing the MoU here today.
Volvo BZL-GML Eco Range electric city bus can hold up to 91 passengers with 33 seating capacity comprising of safety seats, priority seats and foldable seats with customizable body length ranging from 10.6 to 12.5 metres.
The MoU was signed by Yazurin and Volvo Buses (Malaysia) country manager Marcus Mak, witnessed by Embassy of Sweden Deputy Head of Mission Robert Lejon, Volvo Buses APAC central director Marishya Wilhelmina, Volvo Buses Asia Pacific vice president Mats Nilson and Gemilang International Limited executive director Pang Jun Jie. – BERNAMA