KUALA LUMPUR: Electric public buses will be a common sight in major cities soon.
Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng (pix) said this is part of the government’s efforts and commitment to improve public transportation in the country, as well as to nurture cleaner and greener cities.
“The government plans to invest RM450 million to acquire up to 500 electric buses of various sizes for selected cities nationwide,” he said when tabling the 2020 Budget in the Dewan Rakyat, here, today.
Lim said the government would also continue to support last-mile connectivity in rural and urban areas by subsidising bus operators with an allocation of RM146 million in 2020.
To address the issue of congestion at the Johor Causeway, where over 300,000 Malaysians commute daily to Singapore, Lim said an additional 50 counters would be opened for motorcyclists, among other things.
“The government will invest RM85 million beginning 2020 towards enhancing vehicle and traffic flow through the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex (CIQ),” he said.
Lim added that the government also intends to proceed with the Rapid Transit System (RTS) between Johor Baru and Singapore as part of a longer term solution to address congestion there.
