By Suhaila Shahrul Annuar
SHAH ALAM, Nov 17 — The free Smart Selangor Bus service was introduced by the state government not to make profit, but rather to encourage the use of public transportation.
This is according to state executive councillor for mobility Ng Sze Han, who added that since its inception in July 2015, over 65 million passengers have utilised the service.
He said although the number is impressive, ridership should not be a yardstick to gauging the success of the initiative.
"This is because the programme was never meant for profit. Instead, it's to promote the use of public transportation among all levels of the society," he said in Selangor State Legislative Assembly today.
"Additionally, the initiative also helps reduce the financial burden of the low and middle income groups who utilise public transportation for their daily commute."
Ng was responding to a question from Hulu Bernam assemblyman Mu’izzuddeen Mahyuddin pertaining to the Smart Bus Selangor.
He added that the Selangor government is committed to always improving the state's public transportation system so that it becomes the people's primary choice of transport.
"The Selangor Mobility initiative that was introduced by the state administration is a pragmatic approach to improving public transport and mobility services in Selangor.
"It covers all forms of public transport and its supporting infrastructure under one roof, supported by a data analytics system."
