Sarawak Transport Minister Lee Kim Shin announced the plan in his October 19 winding-up speech at the Sarawak Legislative Assembly. The intended service area includes Sibu town, Sibu Jaya, Kemuyang, Ulu Sungai Merah, Rantau Panjang and Lower and Upper Lanang.

The change combines two separate benefits for passengers: newer vehicles and zero fares. But the early-2027 target is not a start date for free travel today, and the announcement does not provide route-by-route timetables or service frequencies. Those details will determine how useful the replacement fleet is for daily trips.

For Kuching readers comparing public transport options, this is a Sibu programme, not a change to the city’s BAS.MY fares. Lee separately reported that Kuching’s BAS.MY service runs 56 buses across 13 routes and had carried more than 1.29 million passengers since its March 2025 launch, as of September 2026.

Sibu passengers can now track a defined delivery window rather than an unspecified replacement plan: January to March 2027. The next useful information will be the confirmed launch arrangements and routes served by the new fleet.