Malaysia's Rapid On-Demand Vans Near 10,000 Daily Riders as Fleet and Coverage Expand

A short van ride is changing the journey to the train

Malaysia's Rapid On-Demand van service has grown from 354 passengers a day after its launch in May 2024 to nearly 10,000 by June 2025, as the government and Prasarana Malaysia Berhad expand a service intended to close one of public transport's most frustrating gaps: getting to and from a station.

By June 26, 2025, the service covered more than 101 zones in the Klang Valley and Penang, with a fleet of more than 600 vehicles. An additional 320 vans were added in June at a cost of RM55 million. Projections put daily use at 36,000 passengers as the fleet expands.

The 12-seater vans offer rides booked through mobile apps within a 5km radius of major rail stations. A promotional journey costs RM1, about US$0.21, while holders of the RM50 My50 monthly pass can use the vans without an additional fare.

For passengers, the attraction is practical. A short connection can make a train journey possible without driving to the station, paying for parking or relying on a more expensive ride. For transport planners, the challenge is to make that connection dependable as demand grows.

Prasarana, the country's main urban public transport operator, plans to introduce an integrated booking app by the second quarter of 2026. Until then, passengers must navigate four apps serving different zones, while some users continue to report confusing booking screens and long waits during busy periods.

Why the first and last mile matters

Malaysia's major cities, particularly those in the Klang Valley and Penang, have struggled with congestion and low public transport use despite substantial investment in Light Rail Transit (LRT), Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and bus networks. About 25% of Malaysians use public transport regularly, compared with 67% in neighbouring Singapore.

The first and last mile describes the journey from home to a public transport stop and the connection from the final stop to a destination. A railway can cover most of a commute quickly, yet the whole journey may remain inconvenient if either end is difficult to reach.

A resident living just 2.5km from an LRT station, for example, can face a walk of about 30 minutes because of indirect routes, poor pedestrian infrastructure or a lack of shelter. In a sprawling city such as Kuala Lumpur, buses can also become caught in traffic, making even a short connection unpredictable.

Those gaps encourage commuters to use private cars, adding to the traffic that slows other road users. Rapid On-Demand, also known as Demand Responsive Transit (DRT), is intended to make the existing rail and bus network easier to reach.

DRT means vehicles respond to passenger bookings within a service area instead of operating only as a conventional bus following a fixed route. The vans complement the longer journey by train or bus, particularly where homes, workplaces and stations are separated by an awkward final stretch.

How passengers book, board and pay

Passengers book through Rapid On Demand, Kummute, Trek or Mobi, depending on their service zone. They select pickup and dropoff points in the app and receive confirmation with a booking number. Drivers check bookings before departure to make sure people board the correct van.

Waiting times typically range from three to 20 minutes, depending on demand and vehicle availability. The service operates from 6am to 11:30pm, covering early journeys to work and travel later at night.

The booking process resembles an e-hailing service, but at a much lower fare. Alongside the promotional RM1 trip and travel included with My50, payment options include Touch 'n Go cards. Open payment systems have also been introduced to accept debit and credit cards, widening access for passengers without a traditional transit card.

My50 costs RM50 a month and provides unlimited travel on Rapid KL services. Including the vans in that pass means eligible passengers can add a connection to the station without paying separately for every van journey.

The vehicles have air conditioning, comfortable seating and designated spaces for persons with disabilities. Their smaller size is useful in areas of apartments and flats where narrow roads can be difficult for traditional buses to navigate.

Within the 5km station catchment, the service is designed to get most passengers to a transit hub within 10 minutes. That short connection can reduce the time spent reaching the train before the main part of a commute even begins.

What commuters are saving

Ms Izzah, an engineer travelling from Putrajaya to Petaling Jaya, previously spent more than two hours driving through traffic. After switching to public transport with a Rapid On-Demand connection for the final part of her journey, her total travel time fell to under an hour.

Her spending also changed. Fuel, tolls and parking had cost her more than RM600 a month. She now pays RM350 for a KLIA Express monthly pass and RM50 for My50, covering her train, LRT and van journeys.

The two passes total RM400 a month, a saving of more than RM200 against her previous driving costs. Her experience shows how a relatively short van ride can affect the cost and duration of an entire journey when it makes a rail connection workable.

College student Syed Aidrus Syed Omar values the service's punctuality and affordability. He says he now waits less than 10 minutes for a van and saves time and money compared with conventional buses or e-hailing.

Kenneth Raj, a front office executive, described the combination of price and convenience this way:

the best mashup of the affordability of public transport but with the convenience and speed of e-hailing.

University student Mirttika M. Velanthren says travelling on the vans without an additional charge through My50 makes attending classes and meeting friends easier. Students and business owners have also found the service makes daily journeys faster and less stressful.

These experiences explain why a feeder service matters beyond the few kilometres it covers. A convenient connection can change whether a passenger chooses public transport for the longer trip, while a low fare helps preserve the financial benefit of taking the train.

More vehicles, more zones and a larger network

The expansion has taken the number of service zones from 37 to 101, with coverage described by June 2025 as more than 101 zones across the Klang Valley and Penang. New routes are being introduced to meet rising demand, particularly in densely populated places and areas with limited transport options.

Recent additions have targeted Ampang, Putrajaya, Cyberjaya and several neighbourhoods connected to MRT stations. Each operational zone typically has multiple vans and up to 20 stops, allowing passengers to connect from several locations within the same area.

The main milestones and next scheduled step are:

• May 2024: Rapid On-Demand launched, with daily ridership starting at 354 passengers.
• June 2025: Another 320 vans were added at a cost of RM55 million, taking the fleet to more than 600 vehicles.
• By June 26, 2025: Daily ridership had approached 10,000, with projections of 36,000 as the fleet grows.
• Second quarter of 2026: Prasarana plans to launch an integrated app for bookings.
• Through 2028: The government has set aside RM1.9 billion for additional diesel and electric buses.

The RM1.9 billion bus allocation forms part of the wider effort to strengthen public transport. More vans and buses, including electric vehicles, are planned as the network expands into additional zones.

Connections with major rail lines and bus lanes are intended to make journeys involving several forms of transport easier to plan. Vehicle accessibility features and the broader range of payment methods are also part of that effort.

The central task is to keep the different parts useful together. Extra vans can help people reach a station, while the rail and bus services must carry them through the rest of the journey. Expansion remains focused on the first and last mile, especially in densely populated and underserved areas.

Four apps can make a simple trip harder

Ms Gan Hui Fang initially found the booking apps confusing, including the process of choosing pickup points. Her experience reflects a difficulty for people who must first work out which app serves their zone before they can request a ride.

Some passengers have reported long waits during peak hours or difficulty boarding without a prior booking. The service's convenience therefore depends on both vehicle availability and the passenger's ability to complete the digital booking process.

Rosli Azad Khan, a transport consultant, has called for simpler screens and support for people who are less familiar with digital services:

A booking app should have a simplified interface, with larger buttons for easy navigation. Senior citizens could be helped to learn the system through digital literacy sessions or in partnership with community centres.

Wan Agyl Wan Hassan, CEO of MY Mobility Vision, has called for the different booking services to be brought together:

Consolidating all the different apps into a single, user-friendly platform would go a long way in making the service more inclusive and not just the digitally connected.

Suggestions for helping passengers include booking by telephone and staffed kiosks at major transit points. Those options would offer assistance to senior citizens and others who find smartphone bookings difficult.

Users have also raised concerns about heavy van doors that can be difficult for elderly passengers to operate. Designated spaces for persons with disabilities address one part of accessibility, while easier boarding and simpler booking would address others.

Better routing software is another priority. The systems that assign vehicles and arrange pickups need to keep waiting times down and send vans where demand is greatest, including outside peak periods.

What the integrated app is meant to change

Prasarana's planned app, scheduled for the second quarter of 2026, is intended to reduce the confusion created by multiple platforms. Existing technology service providers will continue offering Rapid On-Demand services through the unified platform, preserving competition and innovation.

For a passenger, the practical goal is a simpler starting point for booking across different zones. A consolidated app would address the need to move between separate services, while the underlying operators and technology providers would continue to participate.

The planned launch is a future step as of June 26, 2025. Passengers currently use the four existing apps, and improvements to booking will need to be matched by sufficient vehicles, effective dispatching and accessible boarding.

Growing daily use from nearly 10,000 towards the projected 36,000 will also mean serving more journeys across the network. The experiences already described by passengers point to the areas that matter most: clear pickup instructions, short waits, affordable fares and a connection that arrives in time for the next stage of travel.

Safety and congestion depend on more than vans

Assoc Prof Dr Law Teik Hua of Universiti Putra Malaysia's Road Safety Research Centre has highlighted the safety benefits of replacing some personal driving with professionally operated services:

DRT vans are operated by trained drivers who adhere to higher safety standards while essentially removing the complexities and distractions of personal driving, reducing the potential for distraction-related accidents.

Making public transport easier to use can also encourage commuters to leave their cars behind, potentially easing congestion and lowering carbon emissions. The service's flexibility can attract people who previously avoided public transport because the station was too difficult to reach.

Nik Mohd Salim Nik Mohd Salleh, president of the Malaysian Road and Transportation Safety Association, has called for route planning grounded in actual travel patterns:

Any new future DRT routes must be based on proper surveys of population density and commuter travel frequency from highly trafficked areas using personal vehicles. We should also seriously consider the ease of access to public transport as a part of any future urban planning projects, rather than turning to reactive measures like DRT.

His proposal connects expansion to where people live and how often they travel by car. Surveys of those patterns would help identify locations where a new connection could serve regular journeys.

The vans themselves still use road space and produce emissions. Although they are more fuel efficient than large buses, they remain motor vehicles operating in the same urban traffic. Plans for more electric buses and closer integration with the wider network form part of the effort to make urban travel more sustainable.

Better access also starts with the neighbourhood

Muhammad Zulkarnain Hamzah of Transit Malaysia identifies urban design centred on cars and inadequate walkability as underlying causes of the first and last mile problem. His proposed longer term measures include more walkable neighbourhoods, better urban planning and a regional transport authority to coordinate agencies.

Urban planners caution that responsive vans should complement investment in conventional bus routes and pedestrian infrastructure. A passenger may benefit from a van today while still needing a safer, more direct walking route to a stop or station.

Malaysia's experience brings those needs together. A small vehicle can reach residential streets that are awkward for a large bus, and an affordable connection can make a rail commute practical. Better walking routes and coordinated planning can improve access across the same neighbourhoods.

For Ms Izzah and other passengers already using the service, the benefits are concrete: less time travelling, lower costs and an easier connection to public transport. Sustaining those gains as the service expands will require attention to the everyday details passengers have identified, from finding the right pickup point to opening the van door.

Key Points

• Rapid On-Demand launched in May 2024 and grew from 354 daily passengers to nearly 10,000 by June 2025.
• The service uses 12-seater vans within a 5km radius of major rail stations, with coverage exceeding 101 zones in the Klang Valley and Penang.
• An additional 320 vans costing RM55 million took the fleet to more than 600 vehicles in June 2025.
• Promotional fares are RM1 per trip, while My50 holders travel without an additional van fare.
• Passengers book through four apps, with typical waits of three to 20 minutes and operating hours from 6am to 11:30pm.
• Prasarana plans an integrated app for the second quarter of 2026, while passengers and transport specialists seek simpler bookings and better accessibility.
• Further expansion is intended to improve station access alongside investment in buses, walking infrastructure and coordinated urban planning.