KUCHING, May 14 — Hydrogen buses have demonstrated steady increase in ridership in Sarawak, carrying a total of 57,764 passengers to date between September 2020 and March this year, said Sarawak Transport Minister Datuk Seri Lee Kim Shin.
In his ministerial winding-up speech yesterday, he informed that the average monthly ridership from January to April this year has reached 1,869 passengers, marking a 27.14 per cent increase from the average monthly ridership of 1,470 passengers in January to April last year.
The increase is attributed to rising public awareness of the hydrogen bus service and active requests to charter for special events, signifying the positive impact of these buses on local transport.
“For the information of this august House, upon the operations of the Kuching Urban Transportation System (KUTS) Project, the hydrogen feeder buses will be integrated with the Autonomous Rapid Transit (ART) system to provide last mile connectivity, improving the accessibility for passengers within urban areas.
“It plays a crucial role in improving the overall KUTS interconnectivity as well as promoting sustainable urban mobility,” he said.
Lee said with Sarawak’s journey into hydrogen as a renewable energy and the commitment of state government towards green mobility, hydrogen feeder buses will be procured in the coming years in stages, representing a leap towards sustainable urban transportation. — The Borneo Post
