Penang CAT Bus

The Penang CAT Bus, short for Central Area Transit, is a free shuttle bus service provided by Rapid Penang in collaboration with the Penang State Government. It was introduced to make travel within George Town’s UNESCO World Heritage Site more convenient for both locals and visitors. The CAT bus connects major landmarks, shopping areas, and heritage streets, making it one of the most practical and economical ways to explore the city.

Quick Facts

The Route

The Penang CAT Bus follows a loop route between Weld Quay Bus Terminal (also known as Jetty) and KOMTAR Bus Terminal, passing through some of George Town’s most significant streets. This route gives passengers convenient access to heritage sites, commercial areas, and popular landmarks.

The route is as follows:

This comprehensive loop ensures that passengers can conveniently hop on and off the bus at various points of interest around George Town without needing to worry about fares.

Service Frequency and Operation Hours

The Penang CAT Bus operates daily from 6:00 am until 11:45 pm. The buses run at intervals of approximately 10–15 minutes, providing regular and reliable service throughout the day. This makes it easy for commuters and tourists alike to plan their journeys around George Town with minimal waiting time.

Why the CAT Bus is Important

The CAT bus plays a key role in reducing traffic congestion in the city centre by encouraging people to use public transport instead of driving. Since the service is free of charge, it is particularly popular with budget travellers and daily commuters who move between KOMTAR and Weld Quay. It also enhances accessibility to heritage attractions, food streets, and government offices within the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

For visitors, the CAT bus is often the first introduction to Penang’s public transport system, offering a stress-free way to experience the city before branching out to other Rapid Penang routes that connect to suburban and mainland destinations.

Other Details

As of September 2025, the George Town CAT route is the only remaining CAT service. Previously, there were multiple CAT routes across the island and mainland, but these have since been discontinued, leaving the Weld Quay–KOMTAR service as the central line.

The buses are air-conditioned and designed for urban commuting, with easy access for passengers. Being part of the Rapid Penang fleet, the CAT buses are well-maintained and operate under the same safety and service standards as the rest of the network.

Passengers do not need to purchase tickets or passes to ride the CAT bus. Simply board at any of the stops along the route, and enjoy the journey free of charge. This makes it an excellent way to explore George Town at no cost.

CAT Buses, PenangCAT Buses, Penang (12 Mei 2018)

Legacy information on the CAT bus service

The Penang CAT free bus service was launched on 23 January 2009 with one route within the inner city of George Town. At that time, CAT stood for Central Area Transit. In 2018, the free bus service was expenced to include 12 more new routes, and the CAT acronym was given a different meaning, Congestion Alleviation Transport.

For a while, the Penang CAT free feeder bus service was expanded to serve the neighbourhoods of Air Itam, Balik Pulau, Batu Kawan, Bayan Baru, Bukit Mertajam including Alma, Kepala Batas (Bertam), Nibong Tebal, Pulau Tikus, Seberang Jaya and Tanjong Tokong, in addition to two routes within George Town. However, I believe these have been discontinue, and as of today, July 2025, the only CAT services on Penang Island is the one within George Town.

Updates on CAT

31 March 2020
Many CAT bus services in Penang were discontinued, specifically on certain routes, as part of measures implemented by the Penang government to reduce public transportation during the pandemic.

7 March, 2018 The Star reports that the Penang State Government is increasing the number of feeder buses for use in CAT from 46 to 52 (29 on Penang Island and 23 on Penang Mainland). A new route in Alma, Bukit Mertajam is also being introduced and is expected to go into operations on 1 April, 2018. According to the report, CAT services is being expanded to six routes on Penang Island and seven on Penang Mainland. They are the George Town, Tanjong Tokong, Sungai Dua, Bayan Baru, Air Itam and Balik Pulau routes on the island, and the Bertam, Bukit Mertajam, Simpang Ampat, Nibong Tebal, Seberang Jaya and Batu Kawan routes on the mainland.


MBPP Rapid Penang CAT Free Shuttle Bus (23 January 2009)


City Hop On - Livery of the shuttle bus (23 January 2009)


Central Area Transit (CAT) signage (23 January 2009)

History of CAT Feee Bus Services

CAT was an initiative of the Penang Island City Council (MBBP), then the Penang Island Municipal Council, with Rapid Penang. The first route, launched in 2009, was a route from Jetty to Penang Road and back.

The original CAT buses make 19 stops at strategic points of interest. The service runs from 6:00 am in the morning until 12:00 am midnight. Apart from the route around Komtar, the shuttle service ply roads within the core and buffer zones of the George Town Unesco World Heritage Site.

Rapid Penang has prepared three air-conditioned buses which were specially painted with the CAT livery for easy recognition. In front of the bus as a "Hop On Free" sign. On the sides are the words "City Hop On" and "Central Area Transit". The 19 bus stops along the route have also been properly signaged. The bus stops are numbered to help visitors identify their location vis-a-vis the tourist attractions of the vicinity.

In 2013, another free service called the Pulau Tikus Loop was introduced to provide a shuttle service around the Pulau Tikus neighbourhood.

In 2018, the free bus service was greatly expanded and the acronym CAT was given a new meaning, Congestion Alleviation Transport, with 12 routes planned. The first four were launched in April 2018 while the remaining 8 routes are launched in July 2018. These are CAT Batu Kawan (6 July), CAT Pulau Tikus/Tanjong Tokong (7 July), CAT George Town (10 July), CAT Bertam (13 July), CAT Bayan Baru (17 July), CAT Alma (22 July), CAT Sungai Dua/USM (26 July) and CAT Seberang Jaya (31 July). The new "Penang CAT" feeder buses bear a green livery to make them distinct from the usual Rapid Penang public buses.

References

  1. Rapid Penang Official Website
  2. Penang State Government Portal

Page Details

This page was created on 17 September 2025. Hi, my name is Timothy and created it from my research, for my own entertainment, knowledge and to satisfy my curiosity. I am providing the information to you in good faith and hope it is useful. I try to get the details as accurate as possible. I also try to update the page whenever I stumble on new details. So this and all my other pages are perpetual work in progress. If you discover any error, please politely inform me, pointing out where the error lies, and I will correct it as soon as possible. Your helpfulness will keep this page accurate, relevant and helpful to those who need the information.

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