Smart Selangor bus service stoppage upsets Subang Jaya commuters

Smart Selangor bus service stoppage upsets Subang Jaya commuters

THE sudden halt to the Smart Selangor bus service in Subang Jaya without prior notice is frustrating commuters.

Subang Jaya City Council (MBSJ) announced on May 2 via social media that the service for five bus routes – SJ01, SJ02, SJ03, SJ04 and SJ05 – had been temporarily stopped.

A student in Subang Jaya, who did not want to be named, said on May 1, he waited for 20 minutes for the bus at one of the stops along the SJ02 route before discovering through other sources online that the service had been halted.

“The fact that there was no official notice from MBSJ on this matter is infuriating,” he said.

He also said the suspension had left him no choice but to seek alternative transportation, and this meant a longer time to reach his destination.

“I used to be able to travel from IOI Mall Puchong to the SS18 LRT station in about 20 to 25 minutes through the SJ02 Smart Selangor bus route.

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“Since the service was halted, I have to take the LRT and switch trains at the Putra Heights station, which takes 45 to 50 minutes,” said the student who uses the Smart Selangor bus four to five times a week.

He added that the demand-responsive transit (DRT) service was not reliable during peak hours, as the wait was long.

Although the Smart Selangor bus service has been temporarily halted, RapidKL buses such as the 771 route are still available in Subang Jaya.

Commuter Ng In Kun, 60, who lives and works in Subang Jaya, said he now had to use other public bus services.

“This is a huge inconvenience and disruption to my daily schedule,” said Ng, who used the Smart Selangor bus almost every day to get to work.

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Natalie Chan, who utilised the Smart Selangor bus to commute between the SS15 LRT station and her workplace in Petaling Jaya, said some stops were unique to the Smart Selangor routes.

“The halt in service has made it difficult for commuters who need to use those stops,” she noted.

In a statement to StarMetro yesterday, MBSJ said the contract of service with RapidKL to run the five Smart Selangor routes ended on Feb 28 and was extended to April 30 to provide room for a new operator to take over.

“MBSJ is striving to resolve this issue swiftly.”

The city council said there would not be any changes to existing Smart Selangor bus routes in the city when the new company took over operations.

“The existing routes will remain to ensure the comfort and convenience of Subang Jaya residents,” added MBSJ.