Seremban: Ridership on the BAS.MY stage bus service across all 22 routes in Negeri Sembilan has risen by 35 per cent to 125,000 passengers so far this year, compared with 90,000 last year. State Local Government Development, Housing and Transport Action Committee chairman J. Arul Kumar said the increase involved the operation of 90 buses statewide.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the additional 35,000 passengers reflect growing public confidence in BAS.MY service and the success of government efforts to strengthen public transport in the state. Arul Kumar announced the figures to reporters after inspecting the main bus terminal at Terminal 1. He also stated that the state aims to further boost ridership to more than 200,000 next year.

To encourage usage, Arul Kumar mentioned the introduction of BAS.MY concession cards offering free fares to senior citizens aged 60 and above, school and university students, and persons with disabilities. A total of 6,853 registrations have been recorded so far.

Arul Kumar also noted that the government has reduced the price of the unlimited 30-day travel pass from RM50 to RM30, equivalent to RM1 a day. As of now, 514 users have subscribed to the pass. Among the busiest routes are Nilai Sentral to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), with about 20,000 passengers a month, and Terminal 1 to Nilai Sentral, which records around 6,000 passengers.

He highlighted that underperforming routes, including Nilai to Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM), may be discontinued and replaced with new routes under review. Additionally, BAS.MY would also be asked to introduce a route to Hospital Tuanku Ja'afar to improve public access to the facility.