Prasarana, the transport service provider that operates the RapidKL LRT, MRT, Monorail, and bus service released a new app on 16 October 2024 called MyRapid PULSE to replace the previous app, also called MyRapid PULSE. The new app is a major upgrade compared to the previous version, which served to help users plan their journey.
Travel Pass
A major upgrade to the app is users can now renew their monthly My50 unlimited travel pass. The popular travel pass allows Malaysian users to use travel without limit on all RapidKL buses and train services for the whole month for only RM50, using the user's own MyKad with the Touch&Go activated.
I have not tried the function as my My50 pass is still current. I suspect users whose first part of their daily journey would face a slight problem as the terms and conditions mentioned that you need to present the QR code to Rapid counters located at LRT, MRT, and monorail stations. I'll updyou ate once I come across this myself, as the first leg of my daily commute is the via RapidKL bus.
For tourists, Malaysian and non-Malaysian alike, the new app also offers various options of travel pass.
Region Selection
A minor update that they made to the app is the ability to switch regions is now placed on the dashboard. In the previous iteration of the app, you can only change the region in the app setting. The function was hidhat I only realised its existence while comparing both apps of this article. Other regions available are Penang (for RapidPenang) and Kuantan (for RapidKuantan).
Explore Function
The explore function allows the users to identify their locations and the nearest stations (bus, LRT, MRT, monorail) with the latarrival/departureture. The arrival and departtimestime for the buses are fairly accurate as they are largely affected by the traffic conditions.
Despite many roads today having dedicated bus and taxi lanes, Malaysian drivers are still recalcitrant and use these lanes. This problem is further compounded by the lack of enforcement. On the other hand, some of these major roads with bus lanes have inconsistnumbersmber of lanes. Take Jalan Genting Klang as an example. At most parts of the road, the road is three-lane wide, including the bus lane. However, the numberlaneslane drops to two lanes on either side of the road just in front of Balai Polis Setapak. The number of lanes is reduced at this point to allow the merging of Jalan Gombak into Jalan Genting Klang.
That said, Rapid buses will stop at designated stations if the drivers are ahead of schedule due to clear traffic.
Complaints
Now that I have mentioned the good stuff, it is time for my complaints. lly Different App
Earlier, I mentioned that there was an earlier iteration of the app. Both apps are largely similar. However, I can't fathom why Prasarana need to launch a similarly named separate app instead of having the new app to override the previous version of the app.
I have been using the previous app for months and was unaware that the new app had been launched. I only found out of this new iteration from a pop-up message while using the older app somewhere in early December.
Small Clickable Sign In Logo
You can sign in to the app for a more personalised experience (my words, not theirs, and I'm still waiting for the personalised experience). But the indication which part of the screen to click to sign in was so thin that I missed it. I kept clicking on the word guest and the photo icon, only to realise the very thin line.
Robotic Feedback, or Ignorant Feedback?
I decided to give a feedback on the sign on page. I clicked on the Feedback sign and was directed to the WhatsApp. I quickly typed my feedback. But the response I received later got me scratching my head.
I had typed my feedback and the message had double tick, meaning that the message had been transmitted successfully. Oh well,
Verdict
A useful app, especially if you plan to use public transport in KL, Penang, and Kuantan.
Danny Liew is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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