Public Transportation Trust Fund in Malaysia

Categories: Malaysia
The Malaysian Cabinet decision to set up a Public Transportation Trust Fund with the savings the Government derived from its reduction of subsidy for fuel prices is indeed laudable. The savings amount to RM4.4bil.

This is the way to go if the Government is seriously urging its people to switch from private transport to public transport. Till now apart from words, no concrete steps had been taken so far. In order to solve the transport problems and urging people to reduce the use of private transport, there must be a viable alternative. If there are no public transport, how are those people who stop using the private transport commute?

The country cannot afford to keep building new roads because this does not solve traffic problems. It merely increases the ownership of cars because when there is perceived lack of traffic jams, this implies low car populations. This new roads and highways just serve to delay the inevitable.

With the various modes of transport available in the KL, it is important to optimise and integrate their use. There should be seamless transfer between the LRT, monorail, KTM and buses. By integrating, this increases the convenience of public transport and therefore address one of the advantage of private transport.

Bus service should also increase their coverage. They should ply into areas where the LRT, monorail or KTM cannot cover. The should serve as the link between LRT or monorail stations and residential, workplace or shopping areas. Not only should their coverage be big, their frequency should also be increased. A wide coverage means reduce private transport dependance on the area served. Higher frequency means more convenience. Reliability is also important.

I hope the Government do not only look into the transport problems of KL but all the cities of Malaysia. It is better to alleviate or prevent the breakdown of the public transport before it collapses. The public transport in Penang deteriorated to such an extent that it was mostly non-existence. It was recently just being revamped. How effective the revamp will work remains to be seen.

Another worry is the tendency for the Government to just start some project without following through it. Traffic woes is an on-going problem and needs an on-going study and review of transport policy. Officials cannot just sit tight after implementing some scheme because although it may work earlier on, it may slowly resurface with time due to changing demographics and land usage.

It is a good start for the Government to make good its promise to use the subsidy saved on petrol to improve the public transport. It remains to be seen whether they can sustain their effort in improving the public transport.