Yangon city authorities are planning to expend the city’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) routes as more and more people are riding the bus now, said Dr Maung Aung, chairman of the Yangon Bus Line Public Co.
Hot weather has pushed more Yangon residents to use the BRT, and the company said between 8,000 and 9,000 people use the BRT every day.
The BRT has been running in Yangon since February, and it is currently running along Pyay Road and Kaba Aye Pagoda Road with 45 buses. The buses run daily from 6:30am to 7:30pm and cost passengers Ks 300 per ride.
“We will add more buses to those two routes. We saw that more people are riding our buses this month. We will add 20 buses to both routes. We are conducting surveys before setting up new routes. We will have to analyse many issues, including the allocation of bus stops,” he said.
Most commuters in Yangon use buses for their daily activities, which is why we must expand, said Dr Maung Aung.
He said the BRT cannot run at its full capacity due to traffic jams.
“We cannot go fast, but our buses are new and equipped with air-conditioning. Our relationship with our customers is good. Our drivers don’t deviate from their routes, and they don’t turn back to the gate. These are advantages for passengers,” he said.
He said the company is still not earning a profit.
The BRT is funded by Ks 25 billion in government and private investments. The government’s share of the investment amounts to Ks 10 billion.
Source: Eleven Myanmar
