Prasarana Adds 310 Diesel Buses While Waiting for Electric Fleet

Rapid Bus Sdn Bhd has received 310 new diesel buses, marking the final batch under Prasarana Malaysia Berhad’s fleet replacement programme. These buses will be rolled out gradually in Kuala Lumpur and Penang until early 2026 to improve service and ease current capacity issues.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the new fleet includes 200 nine-metre minibuses and 110 twelve-metre standard buses. All were built by a Chinese manufacturer and assembled in Johor to support local industry and promote technology transfer.

Though these diesel buses meet Euro 5 emissions standards, their arrival points to a delay in Prasarana's electric bus rollout plan. Last year, the Ministry of Transport announced 250 electric buses would arrive in 2024 and another 1,200 in 2025.

It seems clear that the target has slipped, with Loke saying the tender has only just closed and deliveries will take up to 12 months.

Loke also detailed the diesel buses as a necessary interim step. He said Rapid KL’s current fleet is outdated and too small to meet demand. Kuala Lumpur alone needs between 3,000 and 5,000 buses to offer reliable urban transport. The new units will help raise service levels while electric buses are being prepared.

He added that another batch of nine-metre e-buses will be introduced next month meant for residential areas. This is part of the first wave of the transition to low-emission transport.

While more diesel buses may seem to go against long-term sustainability goals, the government maintains it is still committed to electrifying public transport by 2037. For now, the new buses are seen as a stopgap to keep services running until electric options arrive.

The challenge lies in balancing today’s operational needs with the long-term push for cleaner mobility.