Lim said under the plan, the public will get to ride for free all public buses during peak hours in the morning and evening. These free travelling hours will be determined later.
He said the Penang government will set aside the funds for RapidPenang, which is owned by Prasarana, under the 2018 state budget and, hopefully, the company would add 200 new buses.
“We want a win-win relationship with RapidPenang.
“The expanded free bus programme will tremendously increase ridership and ancillary business opportunities for RapidPenang,” Lim told the state assembly today.
He said the soon-to-be-introduced “I Love Penang Card” would be used as a payment method on all buses.
The card will also serve as a RM300 pre-loaded medical card for Penangites and to distribute welfare aid to the needy.
Lim said the proposal for the extra buses was due to the immense support for the free buses under the Central Area Transit (CAT) programme in inner George Town. These buses only travel certain specified routes and are a boon to tourists.
“The state government and the Penang Island City Council have spent RM21 million since 2008 to provide these free CAT buses in the George Town area.
“We had also subsidised fares for buses travelling between the mainland and Penang, across the Penang Bridge, for those working in the Bayan Lepas Free Trade Zone.
” MBPP will be increasing the number of free CAT buses from three to five free buses in 2018. This will increase the cost from RM 666,000 to RM1.1 million yearly.”
Lim also announced the formation of Transport Penang, a new planning authority, comprising of a small team of transport planners and experts who will report to state executive councillor Chow Kon Yeow.
The new unit will approach existing public transport companies to improve the mobility and help solve transport woes facing Penangites.