Electric buses in Putrajaya

> Service to be available by second quarter of next year

PUTRAJAYA: In a move to reduce pollution here, electric buses will be put into service by the second quarter of 2018.

GETS Global Berhad managing director Datuk Che Azizuddin Che Ismail said his company plans to add some 150 new electric buses to its bus fleet in stages to replace the use of NGV buses in Putrajaya.

Che Azizuddin explained that adding 150 electric buses is in line with its efforts to reduce carbon emissions, noise pollution and road congestion in the federal administrative capital.

“Such a move would greatly improve Putrajaya’s public transport service as well as realising the vision of making Putrajaya a green living city by 2025.

“For starters, we will have the first batch of five electric buses operational by the second quarter of next year after which we will continue to have more of it each year,” he said after a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signing ceremony between GETS Global and Putrajaya Leisures & Services Group Sdn Bhd (PULSE Group) yesterday.

The signed MoU allows GETS Global to officially take over the shares of PULSE Group’s subsidiary company, Pengangkutan Awam Putrajaya Travel & Tours Sdn Bhd, which operates Nadi Putra buses.

On the fare structure, Che Azizuddin said they have yet to determine the amount but they are looking at providing it for free to the public if the operational costs can be subsidised by the government.

“The current trend in cities worldwide is to give free bus services to the public.

“If our operational cost can be subsidised by other sources of revenue, we definitely would not mind providing the service for free,” he said, adding that it is already a hassle for them to collect the current Nadi Putra bus fare of 50 sen from passengers.