Two electric buses are expected to start operating around the Unesco world heritage site in Bandar Hilir in Malacca in early August.

State Transport and Project Rehabilitation Committee chairperson Lim Ban Hong said the ‘hop-on hop-off’ bus service would be operating with a one-price ticket system.

“The buses will be the first electric buses to be used in Malaysia on public roads and we believe it will help reduce traffic congestion, air and noise pollution.

“For a start, these buses will operate around the Unesco world heritage site and passengers will be using a one-day ticket at a certain price,” he told a press conference in Malacca today.

Also present was Panorama Melaka Sdn Bhd general manager Mohd Saleh Jusman.

The electric bus service will operate under the state government’s  subsidiary company.

Lim said the two buses were among 40 electric buses expected to be fully operational throughout the state by the end of next year.

“We will receive another 38 electric buses from Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation in China in stages from early next year,” he said.

Lim said a fully-charged bus could travel as far as 180km and the battery would take 100 minutes to recharge. It can travel to a maximum speed of 76kph.

The 33-seater bus has one seat for the disabled and is also equipped with nine CCTV cameras.

Lim said a charging station had been built at the Malacca Sentral Bus Terminal for the electric buses.

- Bernama