BUS RAPID TRANSIT (BRT)

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is one of Malaysias mega project which has been tabled in the

Budget 2016 by our Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak. This project is aimed for the

residents of Sabah, mainly Kota Kinabalu as a short term solution to address the traffic

congestion problem as the state government has prepared a comprehensive plan for the transport

system in the future. The plan to develop BRT KK is an initiative under the blueprint of the Kota

Kinabalu Public Transport Enhancement as well as Greater Kota Kinabalu.

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is a high-quality bus-based transit system that is expected to

deliver highly efficient and cost-effective services at metro-level capacities. This is achieved

through the introduction of lanes, with bus ways and iconic stations aligned to the center of the

road, off-board fare collection, and also fast and frequent operations. BRT contains features

similar to a light rail or metro system, which makes it much more convenient, faster and more

reliable than regular bus services. The causes of delay that typically slow down the regular bus

services, like being stuck in traffic and queuing to pay on board will be avoided by the BRT with

the addition of the appropriate features.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman confirmed that the RM1 billion BRT system for

Kota Kinabalu which was announced by the prime minister will be executed by Prasarana

Malaysia Berhad through a private partnership. Prasarana Malaysia Berhad is a government

subsidiary in the public transportation sector and has built Malaysias first BRT system in

Sunway June this year.

The project in Sabah will be fully funded by the Federal government in stages and the

Federal Government will also bear the expenses if the project exceeds its estimated cost of RM

1billion. The BRT project is expected to be completed in five years. The restructuring of public
transport service is expected to result in more people travelling by public transport and reducing

traffic congestion in the city.

A total of four integrated terminals has been planned to be developed under the Public

Transport (Bus) Enhancement plan. The four terminals are Northern Inanam Integrated Bus

Terminal, Southern Kepayan Integrated Bus Terminal (nearby Kota Kinabalu International

Airport), Eastern Penampang Integrated Bus Terminal as well as the Wawasan Kota Kinabalu

Main Terminal, which is currently still under construction. According to Musa, Bus Rapid

Transit Kota Kinabalu will concentrate on the passage among the four integrated bus terminals,

while the now existing bus services will serve as 'feeder buses' to all BRT KK stations.

Hovewer, it is clear that the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system is just a short term plan to

overcome the traffic congestion in Sabah. Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman also said that

the Sabah state government is looking at having the LRT, monorail and tram systems in the state

to further improve the transportation system of the state. He also said that he has personally

instructed the relevant quarters to identify the area which are suitable for the LRT, tram or

monorail systems. The state government has set aside a corridor in the state capital for the most

suitable system that can ease the traffic congestion. Meanwhile, the current BRT system is

expected to be completed by 2020.

References
Malaysia, I. N. (2015). RM1b Bus Rapid Transport system ready:2020 CM. Kota Kinabalu:
Daily Express.
Nancy Lai, M. M. (2015). Govt eyes LRT, trans-CM. Kota Kinabalu: pressreader.
What is BRT. (n.d.). Retrieved from Institue for Trannsportation and Development Policy:
https://www.itdp.org/library/standards-and-guides/the-bus-rapid-transit-standard/what-is-
brt/