Yeo Bee Yin (PH-Puchong) raised concerns about the substantial costs involved when the market price for electric buses ranged between RM1 million and RM1.5 million each.

This means 150 electric buses would amount to only RM150 million to RM225 million, representing a quarter of the total allocation, she said.

“Perhaps the remaining expenditure, RM375 million or more, is for the bus depots,” Yeo said when debating the 2024 Supply Bill in the Dewan Rakyat.

“Are three bus depots necessary at such a high cost? Can we retrofit existing bus depots, as some other cities abroad have done?”

In tabling the 2024 budget last Friday, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Prasarana agreed to procure 150 electric buses and construct three bus depots at a cost of RM600 million to support the needs of the LRT3 project.

However, various quarters on social media have questioned the need for such a large sum.

Rapid Bus, a Prasarana subsidiary, previously set a target for 30% of its fleet to be fully electric by 2030, with the ultimate goal of achieving 100% electric buses by 2050. It aims to start with an electric bus fleet of 4% by 2024, scaling up to 100 units by 2026.

Yeo also asked whether the estimated costs included land acquisition and proposed exploring government-owned land for depot construction as a cost-saving measure, particularly in the Klang Valley.

“Land acquisition will undoubtedly increase the cost. Bus depots, unlike MRT lines, offer more flexibility in terms of location,” she said.

The former energy, science, technology, environment and climate change minister went on to say that Prasarana could learn from Shenzhen, China, where a leasing model was employed in the transition to a fully electric bus fleet.

In Shenzhen, Yeo said the local public transportation agency did not purchase or own buses and did not handle maintenance but instead made annual payments to bus operation companies.

“With a leasing model and effective planning, Prasarana can transition to 100% electric buses without requiring excessive government allocations and subsidies,” she said.