Prasarana Malaysia Berhad, the biggest operator of public transportation in Malaysia will be acquiring 150 electric buses. This was announced by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim during the tabling of Budget 2024.
According to Anwar, these buses will be used to support the LRT 3 line. Also known as the LRT Shah Alam Line, the route features 25 stations from Bandar Utama to Johan Setia and is expected to be operational in March 2025.
With a total allocation of RM600 million, Prasarana is also planning to build three electric bus depots. Some may not be aware of this but electric bus is not a new venture for the company.
Its Rapid Bus subsidiary already operated quite a number of electric buses for the GoKL service since a few years ago. In addition to that, the BRT Sunway Line exclusively uses electric buses and it is also the world’s first all-electric BRT system.
Prasrana has also publicly stated that it is aiming to electrify 30% of its Rapid Bus fleet by 2030 before going fully electric by 2037. Aside from the new electric buses, Anwar has also made other EV-related announcements during the Budget 2024 tabling including targeted cash rebates for electric motorcycles and the extension of tax breaks for EV chargers as well as EV leasing.
