Penang: The free charter bus service to Bukit Bendera, funded by the Penang Bukit Bendera Corporation (PBBPP), using Rapid Penang buses, will not affect the daily operations of existing Rapid Penang bus routes. Rapid Bus Sdn Bhd (Rapid Bus) acting chief executive officer Ku Jamil Zakaria stated that the service has been comprehensively planned, taking into account the company's operational capabilities.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the information received from the Penang Public Transport Users Association (PeTUA) claimed that Rapid Penang bus operations are insufficient following the implementation of the free charter bus initiative. However, Rapid Bus emphasized that the service has been planned comprehensively, ensuring it does not affect the number of buses for Rapid Penang's existing route services.

Ku Jamil assured that daily operations on all routes remain operational as usual, with a sufficient number of buses to support the initiative without affecting services on other routes. The free bus service provided by PBBPP operates every 90 minutes during the promotion period, and passengers can still use the existing Rapid Penang bus service for route 204, which has a frequency of 35 to 45 minutes during peak hours.

He further stated that Rapid Bus remains committed to ensuring that Rapid Penang bus service operates optimally for the comfort of passengers while supporting strategic collaboration with related agencies to increase the use of public transport in Penang.

Meanwhile, PeTUA secretary Zulfikar Ali Abdul Aziz expressed concerns that Rapid Penang does not have a sufficient number of buses and vans to provide adequate services for users. He suggested that PBBPP could have used charter buses, employee buses, or school buses through a special permit for their programme, as each Rapid Penang bus allocated for charter services might affect the quality of service due to the reduced number of buses and vans.

Zulfikar emphasized that the argument of the programme being for only a few days is not reasonable, as the state government is currently providing charter bus services for state government staff to encourage public bus transport usage.