KUALA LUMPUR – Prasarana Malaysia Bhd will be initiating a limited tender process soon for the implementation of its open payment system, but it may take at least a year before commuters can benefit from the cashless convenience, according to Transport Minister Anthony Loke.
Loke explained that the decision for a limited tender was necessary as there were parties involved in the initial open tender who were “unsatisfied” with certain evaluation aspects.
“After that, we hope that (a contract) can be awarded in the second quarter of this year, (following which) it will probably take up to 12 months to be implemented,” he told a press conference today during a briefing on Prasarana’s 2024 performance.
“We’re looking at (the open payment system) to be implemented in stages by the end of this year,” he added.
In the interim, Loke noted that Prasarana is working on enabling renewals of Rapid KL’s My50 unlimited ride pass through alternative payment platforms, including Touch ‘n Go.
The open payment system was originally targeted for introduction by the end of last year. In March, Loke had announced that Prasarana expected to complete its initial tender process within two months.
During a press conference in Parliament at the time, he reiterated Prasarana’s commitment to implementing the system, beginning with Rapid KL buses, while noting that integration for rail services, such as LRT and MRT stations, would require more time.
Currently, Rapid KL buses accept only Touch ‘n Go cards as a payment method, while rail stations offer additional options, including tokens.
The new open payment system aims to allow the use of debit and credit cards, along with other payment methods.
Separately, Loke revealed today that Prasarana has set a mean kilometre between failure (MKBF) target of one million for its rail services, with plans to achieve this by the second quarter of 2026.
He highlighted a reduction in service disruptions, noting that incidents fell from 265 in 2022 to 118 in 2023, and further down to 71 in 2024.
Of the 71 disruptions recorded last year, 26 occurred on the Kelana Jaya LRT line, 20 on the Kajang line, four on the Putrajaya line, 14 on the Ampang line, and seven on the MRT.
Prasarana also registered an average daily ridership of 1.18 million in 2024, representing a 24% increase from 955,000 in 2023. – January 17, 2025