Prasarana Malaysia Bhd has decided to cease placing orders for diesel-fuelled buses as part of its commitment to boost the adoption of electric buses.
FMT reports that Transport Minister Loke Siew Fook disclosed that the last set of diesel buses, awarded through the procurement tender by March this year, is scheduled for delivery in the first quarter of 2025.
Loke emphasised, “About 60% of the buses purchased are mini buses. This will be the final batch of diesel buses. After this, tenders should focus on electric vehicles (EVs),” following his presentation of Prasarana’s 2023 performance report and its 2024 plan.
“This move aligns with our national policy promoting the adoption of EVs,” he added, highlighting the country’s commitment to the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR).
Prasarana subsidiary, Rapid Bus, has previously set a target for 30% of its fleet to be fully electric by 2030, with an ultimate goal of achieving 100% electric buses by 2050.
The plan involves commencing with an electric bus fleet of 4% by 2024, scaling up to 100 units by 2026.
In unveiling the 2024 budget, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced that Prasarana has agreed to procure 150 electric buses and construct three bus depots, amounting to RM600 million in investment, to support the requirements of the LRT3 project.
