You Can Soon Pay For Public Bus Rides With A Credit Card
The government will focus on enabling the new payment systems on RapidKL buses first.
By Aqasha Nur’aiman — 07 Mar 2024, 11:25 AM
Public bus users will soon have the option to enjoy more alternative payment methods besides using Touch 'n Go
During a press conference at the Parliament building yesterday, 6 March, Transport Minister Anthony Loke confirmed that the idea is in the pipeline, although it has not yet been implemented, reported Malay Mail.
"Regarding the recent incident posted by a tourist from Germany who could not board the bus without a Touch 'n Go card, the government has decided to implement an open payment system on all public buses.
"Actually, it has been in the pipeline, and it was supposed to be done together with the rail system. But it is much more difficult to implement this on the rail system as it has to be synced with many stations; whereas with public buses, it just needs a card reader attached to the vehicle," said Loke.
Loke shared that the ministry will focus on enabling the new payment systems on RapidKL buses first
"We are waiting for tenders. Once this is through, it will take about three to six months to be implemented.
"So hopefully, by the end of this year, we will have an open payment system for all public RapidKL buses," he said.
In addition to the new payment systems, Loke added that the government is planning to add 344 more bus stops to improve the public transportation infrastructure.
"We are building covered walkways involving a total distance of 7,445m across seven local councils in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur," added Loke.
Earlier this month, a German tourist uploaded a video to TikTok expressing his frustrations after being denied boarding a bus at a Batu Caves stop in Gombak, Selangor
In the clip, the German man and his two friends are seen trying to board a RapidKL bus. However, they had to exit the bus after a short conversation with the bus driver.
The tourist then explained that they were unable to board the bus because they did not have a Touch 'n Go card.
"There was no information on how to pay for the bus, so the bus driver told us that we couldn't get on," the tourist said.
He added that they did not know where to get Touch n' Go cards and suggested more convenient payment methods.
The German tourist also claimed that Malaysia's public transportation system is not tourist-friendly:
