AFAIK, none of the buses I showed had a Gemilang bodywork. The
Dong Feng buses are bodied by MTrans and the rest, I believe, are
CBU.
There are several bus companies in the State of Pulau Pinang, which
comprises of Penang Island and Seberang Perai (formerly Province
Wellesley). The red and white buses are from Transitlink. Although
they have services into Penang Island, their base is actually at
Bukit Mertajam. The bus network of Rapid Penang covers the whole of
Penang Island as well as nearby towns on the mainland such as
Butterworth and Perai.
Before Rapid Penang, the largest bus operator on the island was the
Penang Yellow Bus Co. However, after operating for 58 years, it
suddenly stopped running on 1 Jan 2004 leaving hundreds of
commuters stranded as the bus network fell into disarray. Attempts
by the State Government to improve the bus network failed so they
turned to the Federal Government seeking a revamp similar to what
Kuala Lumpur went through. The Federal Government agreed and so on
31 July 2007, Rapid Penang was launched.
The remains of the Penang Yellow Bus can still be seen on the road.
The buses now operate as the Milan Bus Company. However, their
passengers have dwindled as commuters would prefer the new and
modern fleet of Rapid Penang.
