Prasarana‘s plans to introduce bank card and digital wallet payments across its public transport network remain delayed as the company works to finalise procurement.
The first tender ended without a contract award, forcing the company to repeat the process, Transport Minister Anthony Loke told Parliament on 21 October, according to The Star.
Prasarana had initially targeted the end of 2024 for bus services and August 2025 for rail services.
The company is now in the final stages of procurement and evaluation, with a decision expected by the end of 2026. It has yet to announce when implementation will begin.
Commuters will gain more payment options under a phased rollout.
The system will cover Rapid Rail and Rapid Bus services in the Klang Valley and Penang.
Supported payment methods will include MyDebit, international credit and debit cards, and contactless transactions through NFC-enabled devices.
Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, Alipay, QR payments and TNG eWallet cards are also planned.
Within 12 months of the project’s commencement, Prasarana aims to enable open payments on 30 percent of passenger access and fare collection equipment at each Rapid KL rail station.
Full implementation across the rail network is targeted within 30 months, while Rapid Bus services in the Klang Valley have a 15-month rollout target.
Loke attributed the extended timeline to Prasarana’s procurement requirements, which are intended to ensure transparency and competitive bidding.
The company is responsible for managing and funding the project.
Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Malaysia, based on image by Rapid KL
