The ridership on the Bridge Express Shuttle Transit (Best) is gradually increasing.
From 60 passengers on 1 March, it reached 215 passengers yesterday, 3 March, a source told me.
So far, some 1,100 people have shown interest in the park-and-ride scheme from Sunway Carnival in Seberang Jaya on the mainland across the Penang Bridge to Bayan Lepas on Penang Island, said the source. Certain factories are even believed to be giving free gifts for those who are taking the bus.
The Chief Minister has assigned one of his special officers, Jeffrey Chew, to go to the ground to encourage more Best users.
All of us can help too by encouraging friends or colleagues to make use of this shuttle service. We have to make this work so that we can see wider use of buses and expanded shuttle services in the future.
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Bravo DAP and Lim Guan Eng !!!
As for Gerakan and Dr Koh, what they had been doing in the past 18 years were smelling … UMNO !!!
No wonder Penang was like a junk when DAP took over. In all honestly, Penang has improved just in a short span of 3 years !!!
Long life DAP/Pakatan !!!
I remember once Dr. Mahathir commented that Penang is the dirtiest city in Malaysia after paying a visit to Penang many years ago, and immediately our backdoor minister started shouting that Penang is going to be the cleanest city in x years… Ha, just empty slogan with nay an action.
Very good at apple-polishing, shameless minister!
We all know that Penang has wasted many years under Gerakan. We must be thankful of the good job done by the Pakatan/DAP administration.
We can all enjoy ourselves at the PISA concert (Ning Baizura) and count our blessings while continue our support for Pakatan for more good years ahead.
I read somewhere that there’s WiFi on those buses. Is it arranged in such a way that location tracking works? It ought to be possible to show the routes on an online mapping service and show the current position of the bus. If location tracking isn’t possible by any other means, could the buses webcast an image from a forward facing webcam every few seconds so that passengers could ‘see’ where the bus is? Another alternative with webcams (although possibly a bit ‘advanced’ – research project?) is to recognise visual cues from the webcam (shop signs, building shapes, road signs… Read more »
A few responses in this report:
http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2011/3/2/north/8167562&sec=North
RapidPenang has a GPS system and you can phone 04-2381313 to find out how many minutes it will take for your bus to arrive. They call it their Intelligent Commuter Information System (ICIS) and it operates from 5.00am to 2.00am. I hope they will put up electronic display boards at the bus stops to indicate how long it will be before the next bus arrives.
Thanks. Positive opinions from the users and not quite neutral reporting from the journos!
I was going to suggest they could put something more flexible online for people with web-capable (a less common omission with every passing year) phones, but I think you’re right: A public transport service should be usable in its entirety without regard to personal computing provision. A cheaper and possibly more robust alternative to a display could be a press-to-listen announcement. It might be worth canvassing the views of some people for whom accessibility is more of an issue.
This can be done easily for place like Penang (small), and NOT going to cost a bomb. I believe any high tech local company should have the competance to do so.
BTW, the buses come with free Wi-Fi. You can actually start working on your way to the FIZ area. What a deal that is for free. Mana nak dapat.
How long will this lost making service lasts ???
It is painful to see our public money being wasted just for crazy idea.
This is ‘Rakyat Didahulukan’.
Please educate your how siow master.
Burning people money also ‘Rakyat Didahulukan’ ???
This is certainly NOT burning money. This is money VERY well spent. “burning money” is the RM50bil MRT. That’s burning money. “Burning money” is the PKFZ. “Burning money” is the ridiculous nuclear power stations that is planned. “burning money” is the 100-storey building in KL that is in the ETP.
The monies is NOT wasted just like that, at least helping the folks to save around RM200 (bridge toll & petrol also stress from driving) per head every month. Reducing cars no the bridge/road also meant to reduce carbon foot print. You understand or not.
Have GERAKAN/BN ever thing of doing so other than think of any project that benefit ‘your own pockets/cronies’
Rather than wasting money on your cronies !
I am amazed by your cockiness and left winged views. Seriously, Dr Teng claimed he had planned to do it years ago. I know the reason. He (allegedly) can’t pacify the other 3 private buses that he was doing it for the common good cos those 3 had links to his masters. Seriously, dr teng should have just joined DAP or PKR if he had the people in his heart. Kow tow syndrome like his boss.
RM200K per month is worth the money to spend if done well. I believe the FTZ should also contribute.
To ensure that the project will be successful with good ridership, the parking area on the mainland need to have good security.
An incident or two of break-in, or broken car windows will deter commuters to use the service.Even snatch thieves can take advantage of the rushing commuters. Beware of sabotage…
Brevo to YAB Lim Guan Eng. Penangites knows you are working unlike the Ai Khoon CM, who only knows how to kowtow to umno.
We have to make it work if only to shut some people up.
Positive reviews on BEST system by commuters.
Now 400 users a day.
See the report here with pictures:
http://www.kwongwah.com.my/news/2011/03/11/16.html