According to the Johor state legislative assembly, the Iskandar Malaysia Rapid Bus Transit (IMBRT) pilot testing, which began in April this year, has received excellent responses, with 97.9% of respondents indicating support for the service.
According to State Public Works, Transport and Infrastructure Committee chairman Mohd Solihan Badri, the pilot testing, which ended late last month, was to demonstrate the use of existing green bus technology, get feedback from the Road Transport Department Vehicle Type Approval (VTA) Committee (VTA) on the vehicle road worthiness, and gain buy-in from the public and relevant agencies.
“The IMBRT pilot testing programme was attended by 443 people and based on the survey conducted, 97.9% of the respondents expressed support for the IMBRT services,” he said during the assembly sitting in Bangunan Sultan Ismail, Kota Iskandar, in response to a query about the development of the IMBRT project.
The IMBRT, according to Mohd Solihan, is Malaysia’s first comprehensive BRT system, costing RM2.56 billion, and will serve as the backbone of public transportation in Iskandar Malaysia, with connections to the Rapid Transit System (RTS), Senai International Airport, Larkin Sentral, the Gemas-Johor Bahru Electrified Double Tracking Project, and ferry services at Stulang Laut and Iskandar Puteri.
The IMBRT project was 21.57% complete as of June, with services planned to begin in the fourth quarter of 2023.
Until last April, the Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA) had spent a total of RM151 million on finalising the infrastructure engineering design, assessing the operational design and financial requirements, investigation work and land acquisition.
