Rapid Bus Receives High Profile Visit
RapidBus Complex in Cheras Selatan, Balakong received the graceful visit of YB Dato' Sri Hajah Nancy Shukri, the Minister in Prime Minister's Department on 10th of January. Arriving early in the morning, the visit was immediately proceeded to a closed-door briefing by En Zulkifli Mohd Yusoff, Rapid Bus CEO, a tour of the bus headquarters and also the bus academy where trainees get their practical and theoretical knowledge to be able to get certified as a bus captain.
Following the press conference, Dato' Sri Hajah Nancy Shukri sat down with the CEO of Prasarana Malaysia Bhd, Datuk Azmi Abdul Aziz and the CEO of Rapid Bus En Zulkifli Mohd Yusoff to express her satisfaction with the first visit, saying that she was very impressed by the state of the art facilities that are provided by the Bus Academy of Rapid Bus.
The minister stated that even though she has herself tried riding Rapid Bus's buses before, this was her first visit to Rapid Bus Sdn Bhd, which was formally formed in 2013 to further strengthen and streamline the Group's bus operation that was initially operated by the bus division in Prasarana.
Dato' Seri Nancy Shukri detailed the advancements being made by Rapid Bus in the industry: "There are 177 routes that Rapid Bus is operating. Currently there are around 1 000 buses for the Kuala Lumpur region only. But the condition is showing that this number is not enough because there is this significant demand for more and more buses. I am also very excited to see that Rapid Bus has introduced the environmental friendly bus lines and all of their other initiatives."
Saying that she is impressed by the infrastructure and its usages, she comments: "I am very impressed with the Bus Control Centre and the Bus Academy. Additionally, the Bus Academy is also accredited by Jabatan Pembangunan Kemahiran and Rapid Bus works closely with the Ministry of Youth to ensure that the younger generations are more open to idea of being employed in this field. I was also very glad to know that the bus academy is open to other bus operators to send their employees to join."
The minister at the Prime Minister's department had also indicated the government's concern with the current issues in the public transporting sector: "It is a good opportunity for me to also see these 1 000 trainees that they have presently. It's important because we are concerned with accidents of buses. Perhaps bus operators could also send their trainees here to advance their skills and knowledge. I would also like to say that I very much like the term 'Bus Captain' instead of the normal bus driver which people commonly use."
Addressing these concerning issue, Dato' Seri Nancy Shukri remarked that the government is convening a lab to crunch statistics and observe the best options that can be undertaken in the form of policies to help reduce the number of accidents occurring on public transportations, specifically on bus rides.
"What had been found from earlier researches is that 80% of these accidents occur as a result of human error." In continuation to this, she presented a more inclusive view of the situation by saying: "We should also sympathize with the companies in the industry as they do not have a wide range of selections in choosing drivers in the first place."
This was why the minister then emphasized the need for more young people to be employed in the industry, "We know that the average age for people working as bus drivers these days are 40 and above. So, I feel that we do need to include more young people. But what discourages them perhaps is the high cost that is required to acquire the bus license. Ultimately, one of the ways to overcome human error is to get more young people working in the industry, and the government will look into ways to achieve this objective."
