The Selangor government has announced that it plans to expand the recently-launched Demand-Responsive Transit (DRT) service to other parts of the state within a month or two. This comes after the administration announced a three-month trial of the service in Bandar Puteri Puchong with Trek Rides.
State local government, public transportation, and new village development committee chairman Ng Sze Han said that the next location for the pilot could be in Ampang or Gombak. “By implementing more trial runs in different locations, we hope to improve the DRT system,” he said.
The trial run in Bandar Puteri Puchong uses vans and covers 17 residential and 20 commercial stops. However, Trek Rides’ FAQ states that its service could also include a shuttle, MPV, or even a minibus. For those who are interested in testing it out, you can sign up on the company’s website.
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If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, DRT is a service that aims to solve first- and last-mile connectivity issues by letting users hail a ride through an app at any time just like any e-hailing service. However, it should be much cheaper as it is similar to van-pooling, where the vehicle will pick up several passengers with different destinations on a single ride.
According to Trek Rides, you won’t need to book a ride in advance and, in fact, you can even change your destination while on a ride. The company promises that its algorithm will match passengers to the right vehicles to ensure the minimum travel duration and will calculate an accurate estimated time of arrival on the app.
Ng said that there are plans to eventually launch the DRT service statewide in Selangor, adding that they are in the process of getting proposals from several vendors. As for the cost, the state exco did not state how much exactly will the fare be after the trial ends, but said that it should be low because it is a shared service. Back in December, he said that while DRT vans won’t be free, they will be heavily subsidised and have reasonable prices.
(Source: The Star)
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