KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 21 — Commuters in parts of Cheras and Putrajaya will soon be able to board feeder vans on fixed timetables without booking via an app, as Rapid KL kicks off a three-month pilot project this Saturday, to boost first- and last-mile connectivity.
The trial shifts two existing Rapid KL On-Demand (ROD) zones, routes T400B and T512B, away from dynamic ride-hailing to predetermined routes and schedules. Dynamic on-demand bookings on both corridors will be temporarily halted during the testing window.
Route T400B bridges Bandar Tun Razak and Taman Midah, creating a direct ground link between the LRT Sri Petaling Line at Bandar Tun Razak station and the MRT Kajang Line at Taman Midah station.
In the administrative capital, Route T512B shuttles between Presint 11 and the Putrajaya Sentral transit hub, which feeds into the MRT Putrajaya Line and the KLIA Transit service.
Under the reworked model, passengers no longer need to book trips through the Rapid On-Demand mobile app. Instead, transit users can simply wait and board at designated stops along the loop, much like traditional feeder buses. Rapid KL has yet to release specific timetable intervals, frequencies, or operating hours for the trial vans.
Fares are set at a flat RM1 per trip throughout the three-month period. Passengers can pay via open payment contactless channels, including debit and credit cards, or standard Touch 'n Go cards.
Concession benefits remain intact, with MyRapid Concession Card holders eligible for a 50 per cent discount, while OKU riders holding the Rapid Mesra pass travel for free.
Rapid Bus Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Syahrul Azmir Ahmad Zaki said that the experiment is part of efforts to drive public transport adoption by lowering boarding friction.
“Rapid KL will also monitor usage, operational performance and user feedback to assess the public’s acceptance of and the effectiveness of this initiative.
“Findings gathered throughout its implementation will serve as a reference in considering service improvements in the future,” he said.
The transit operator plans to track daily passenger volumes, operational consistency, and user feedback over the 90-day trial to determine if the fixed-schedule van concept should be refined and deployed across other transit corridors.