really_all.txt

Extremely disappointed with KTM Komuter service — Hari Kumar Wednesday, 15 Apr 2015 08:41 PM MYT APRIL 15 — I refrained from writing to you a few times but I have lost my patience after repeated disappointing incidents. Easter should have been a happy occasion but mine started and ended badly. The cause of my unhappiness was KTM Komuter/KTMB.  I was commuting to work using the train as usual and a routine 45 minutes journey ended up taking 65 minutes as the train was held up for almost 20 minutes between the Mid Valley station and KL Sentral.  I was late to work eventually. After work I went to meet a friend in Subang Jaya. When I thought things couldn’t get worse, a routine return journey of 20 minutes ended up taking almost two hours with numerous long stops along the way. I boarded the train at 9.50pm and reached KL Sentral at 11.40pm. Both incidents were caused by the so-called upgrading work for their signalling system that KTMB announced repeatedly, claiming it would cause delay only between five and 10 minutes. Somebody needs to be sent back to school to learn time calculation. Then on April 9, I went to KL Sentral as usual to catch the last train to go home. The staff let me through after checking my monthly pass and didn’t say a word. I felt strange as the platforms were deserted and a train driver from the other side asked me where I was going and told me to go to Platform 1 & 2 as all the usual platforms were closed. I ran as fast as I could as I was worried I would miss the train. Once I reached the platform, there were so many people waiting in the hot atmosphere. A few trains came and in the meanwhile, there were announcements that they were experiencing technical problems. The last announcement requested us to go back to the normal platforms as they have resolved the issue and the train finally arrived past midnight. Again on April 13, the train was delayed and delayed around 40 minutes as there were problems with the tracks and only one track was being used between 2 stations. Even yesterday night the train was delayed for 30 minutes. I understand that upgrading works are needed for future convenience but why do it during operational hours? It’s causing so much inconvenience to us. At least I have a transport from the station as I park and ride but imagine the fate of those who use connecting public transport like LRT and buses. On Easter, the LRT station was closed when we arrived at KL Sentral and a few of the passengers were complaining. I don’t think buses operate past midnight. There were elderly people, women, children and some carrying luggage travelling in all the situations above. Isn’t it dangerous and how will they be able to get help if they were stranded? Will they pay for the double taxi fares past midnight? KTMB needs to be more proactive to ensure smooth services as we are paying for it. There is no point in increasing the fare if the service level remains the same and unreliable. They were proud of their punctuality at over 90 per cent but there’s plenty of room for improvements. Recorded announcements of the upgrading works and apologies are just not enough. P.S. — When are they going to start using the new ticketing system? The new machines have been sleeping idly at all the stations for almost two years now. The old machines can’t accept new notes or coins and it’s very difficult to buy tickets especially during rush hours, late at night or early morning when the counter is closed. I hope it’s not another white elephant project. Signalling problem on Kelana Jaya LRT line causes early morning delay Monday, 18 Feb 2019 10:31 AM MYT By Ida Nadirah Ibrahim KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 18 — A signalling fault between the Kelana Jaya and KLCC stations on the Kelana Jaya LRT line led to a temporary disrupted earlier today during the morning rush. The technical glitch was detected at around 7am, resulting in delays as the trains on the line moved slower and stayed longer at the platforms of each station. Commuters were bemused by today’s disruption of services and some took to Twitter to vent their frustrations and express their sentiments. “Technical difficulties for the Kelana Jaya LRT Line is actually a monthly problem that needs to be resolved in the long run. I could see the anxiety on the faces of frequent LRT users (I am an occasional user) calling up their offices informing them of the delay @anthonyloke,” Twitter user Aaron Denison wrote, tagging the transport minister. Technical difficulties for the Kelana Jaya LRT Line is actually a monthly problem that needs to be resolved in the long run. I could see the anxiety on the faces of frequent LRT users ( I am an occasional user) calling up their offices informing them of the delay @anthonyloke pic.twitter.com/V5dMs8fOyS — AARON DENISON (@aaron16denison) February 18, 2019 Another Twitter user Farah Sam using the handle @yesfarahyes wrote: “Live scene at Sri Rampai LRT. This is even before the tickets entry. Wishing all Malaysians taking the train today a fabulous Monday” and attached a photo showing long lines of people before the ticketing booth. Another user Shahrina Shued posted a photo of commuters sitting on the floor at the Kampung Baru train platform and wrote, “LRT down what a start to the week. Happy Monday all!” LRT down..what a start to the week Happy Monday all! — Shahrina Shueb (@InaShueb) February 18, 2019 Rapid KL had on its Twitter account apologised for the inconvenience caused and updated passengers on the temporary disruption. “Our technical team is on site attending to the signalling fault. We are sending buses to ferry passengers between Kelana Jaya Station to KL Sentral. “Engineers/tech team are on site working to resolve the problem. Apologise for the disruption,” it wrote on the social media platform, adding that the trains had moved in manual mode between the Kelana Jaya and KLCC stations. The rail company also sent out several feeder buses at around 8.20am to ferry passengers between the KLCC and KL Sentral stations. The latest update at 9am had called for passengers to board the buses to ride between KLCC Station to KL Sentral. No further updates on the services for the Kelana Jaya LRT line were available at the time of writing. Monorail system needs an overhaul 17 Oct 2018 / 20:13 H. THE KL monorail is the most inefficient transport system compared with its brothers the LRT and MRT. Let me relate my experience in riding the monorail recently. I waited at KL Sentral at about 1pm. The first thing I noticed was that the barrier doors to the track were all open and a notice said they were under maintenance. I remember seeing this notice months ago when I last took the monorail. It looks like nothing has been done to rectify the problem for months. I waited for 20-25 minutes for the train to arrive. Just imagine having to wait for 20 minutes for this supposedly efficient and quick mode of transport. This is unforgivable and insulting. It's like waiting for the inefficient public buses from years ago. Naturally the train was very crowded due to the long waiting time and a two-car train being used. The insult went further when the air-conditioner in the train was so weak that it became stuffy and warm, and uncomfortable. I saw a lot of sweating tourists in the train. This is definitely a bad showcase of our public transport to outsiders. There were no announcements of the stations and people were cranking their necks to try to catch a glimpse of the station's signage. Due to the inadequate and poor posting of signages, standing passengers were not able to see them. I alighted at Imbi Station (Berjaya Times Square), relieved that the air outside was cooler than the air-conditioning in the train. On my return trip from Imbi Station to KL Sentral, the train again took a long 20 minutes to arrive. Air-conditioning was weak again. This time the only difference was there were announcements of the stations. I hope our Pakatan Harapan government can overhaul the monorail system as soon as possible. Poor Commuter Kuala Lumpur RapidKL apologises for stalled Monorail incident By Bernama - January 18, 2019 @ 6:37pm KUALA LUMPUR: RapidKL today apologised to its monorail customers for the inconvenience suffered yesterday after one of its trains stalled near the Bukit Nanas station following a sudden loss of power. “While we apologise for the inconvenience caused, we are grateful that all the passengers were safely evacuated and that there were no injuries in the incident,” it said in a statement. The incident occurred at 7.01pm and a rescue train was immediately despatched to help evacuate some 180 passengers on board the train which stopped after being unable to get traction due to power loss. “Train-to-train evacuation was completed at 7.45pm and a shuttle service using a single track was immediately commenced, one between KL Sentral and Bukit Bintang and the other between Bukit Bintang and Titiwangsa. The service resumed normalcy at 9.11pm,” said the statement. – BERNAMA Grab says here's what passengers can do to avoid longer waits after July 12 KUALA LUMPUR (July 10): E-hailing operator Grab has told its passengers to brace for longer waiting times from July 12, as new e-hailing regulations taking effect are expected to reduce the number of driver-partners on the road. In an email to its users, Grab said it hopes the shortage will be temporary as it works with over 200,000 of its driver-partners to meet new requirements under these regulations. "Efforts include helping driver-partners cover the expenses incurred (inclusive of training, medical checks, vehicle inspections and PSV [public service vehicle] licences). Grab is also working closely with the Ministry of Transport, JPJ, APAD and Puspakom to help all existing and future Grab drivers meet regulations quickly," it said. In the meantime, the e-hailing operator has suggested that passengers book their rides earlier than usual, especially if they have an important meeting or need to catch a flight, and ride during non-peak hours of 7-9am and 5-8pm, to minimise their wait. However, it is not just longer wait times that Grab passengers need to contend with — fares are also expected to rise on lower supply of drivers. In an interview with The Star, Malaysian E-hailing Drivers Association (MeHDA) president Daryl Chong estimated that fares of e-hailing services may rise by as much as 50% if these operators apply surcharges to mitigate demand- supply issues. E-hailing NGO chief: Congestion, lack of drivers among factors for fare hike By Esther Landau - July 16, 2019 @ 9:27am KUALA LUMPUR: Demand and availability were among the factors which led to delays in the e-hailing passenger pickup and price hikes over the past few days. Malaysian Grab Drivers Association president Arif Asyraf Ali said the availability of drivers was a key factor in both issues. He said if there were no drivers available in one area, one from another area would have to accept the pickup request. “If a passenger books a ride from area B and there is no driver at that location, another driver from location A, which is far from the pickup point, has to pick up the passenger. “Hence, the delay and passengers are forced to wait longer. Another factor that contributes to the delay is the traffic congestion at the area. “Passengers have to understand that there were many complaints about the situation. Drivers have been trying their best to reach the location safely and on time,” he told the New Straits Times. As for the fare hike, Arif said this was due to demand and availability of drivers, even during off-peak hours. “Even if the pickup point is near, the fares may go up from RM5 to RM10. This is due to high demand during normal hours and fewer drivers being available during high demand.”It was reported that e-hailing passengers in Klang Valley have been complaining about fare hikes and had to wait longer for their rides. They claimed that fares could increase as high as RM10. E-hailing companies had previously raised concerns on the possibility of higher rates and pickup delays following the introduction of regulations that required e-hailing drivers to obtain public service vehicle (PSV) licences. However, Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced that the deadline for drivers to obtain the PSV licence, which was on Friday, would be extended for another three months. Despite the deadline extension, there are still fewer e- hailing drivers on the road. Asked if drivers who have yet to obtain the PSV licence would take up courses to obtain it, Arif assured that 50,000 Grab drivers were willing to make the effort. “They want to take the courses and obtain the licence. But some of them can only attend the driving course next month as there is not enough space in classroom sessions to accommodate the drivers. One class can accommodate 50 drivers. Grab Malaysia has been assisting them to attend classes on weekends,” he said, adding that the drivers who have yet to obtain the licence can carry out their business as usual for the next three months. The grace period and “softer approach” was adopted by the Transport Ministry to give more time for the e-hailing drivers to meet the necessary requirements. During the grace period, e-hailing drivers found operating without PSV licences would be educated, given advice and a final warning to meet the requirement. Expect longer waiting times for a Grab ride from Saturday PETALING JAYA: Grab users can expect longer waiting times once e-hailing regulations come into force on Saturday (Oct 12) as less than half of the company’s drivers have obtained their public service vehicle (PSV) licences. In a statement, Grab said it had aimed for at least 150,000 drivers to go through the PSV process but to date, only 41% have obtained the licence. “A further 24% are currently waiting, either for examination results or for an examination slot.” Some 22% of drivers, said Grab, have dropped out, citing various reasons, including the time and cost to comply with regulations. Every day, Grab has one million ride bookings and, on average, a passenger can get a ride within six minutes. “Unfortunately, this may change after Oct 12. “With fewer driver-partners on the roads to serve an ever-increasing demand for ride-hailing, consumers will feel the pinch of longer waiting times, especially during peak hours and rainy days.” Passengers, Grab said, should book their rides earlier than usual and should not cancel a ride once they received one, even if the waiting time seems unusually long. “Getting a ride is much easier outside the peak hours of 7am to 9am and 5pm to 8pm,” it said, adding it hoped the imbalance between supply and demand will be temporary. Grab also welcomed Transport Minister Loke Siew Fook’s announcement that additional requirements set by the Road Transport Department (JPJ) would not be compulsory. This includes the need for drivers to print out a physical copy of the e-hailing vehicle permit, and changing their vehicle code at JPJ branches. “Correspondingly, the registration of a vehicle for e-hailing would not be reflected in the vehicle grant.” The government has said it will not delay the implementation of e-hailing regulations. Malaysian taxi drivers' protest against Uber and GrabCar paralyses central KL traffic Traffic in central Kuala Lumpur came to a halt on Tuesday (March 29) morning as taxi drivers staged a protest against taxi apps Uber and GrabCar along the city's main shopping belt, Malaysian media reported. The demonstration followed a similar one in Jakarta last week when thousands of angry Indonesian cabbies and three-wheeled bajaj drivers flooded the city's streets to demand that the government ban Uber and Grab. The Malaysian cabbies parked their red and white taxis along Jalan Bukit Bintang as a mark of protest against the perceived lack of action taken against the services, which they say have affected their livelihood, the New Straits Times reported. The sea of taxis brought traffic to a complete standstill along some of the busiest roads in the Klang Valley where a tourist-friendly stretch of shopping malls are. "We were there to protest against Uber and GrabCar," Malaysian Taxi Driver Transformation Association deputy president Kamarudin Mohd Hussain told The Star newspaper on the phone. Mr Kamarudin said he was not the organiser of the protest but was there to support the gathering. The police spoke to the head of the protest group at 11.30am, advising the crowd to disperse, The Star said. MRT users hit with delays after signalling problem By Nur Syamila Kamarul Arefin August 13, 2018 12:26 PM MRT users wait in the carriage after a signalling problem causes delays. KUALA LUMPUR: MRT commuters were hit with delays today following a signalling problem along the line from the Mutiara Damansara to Bukit Bintang stations. Commuters told FMT that the problem started around 9.30am when the trains stopped at each station for an extended period of between 20 to 40 minutes. “The trains were full so I, along with many others, got off at the Merdeka station to switch to the LRT,” said one commuter who declined to be named, adding that her journey to work was delayed by nearly two hours. When contacted, a spokesman from MRT confirmed the problem, citing a failure in the automatic controlling system. “Because of this, there was a signalling problem along certain stretches, so we were driving the train manually which was what caused the delay.” He added that as of noon, the signalling issue had been rectified although the trains were still moving on manual mode. Last year, it was reported that thousands of MRT users along the Sungai Buloh-Kajang Line arrived late for work after a delay caused by signalling issues. Why aren't you taking the bus? By Emillio Daniel - April 8, 2018 @ 1:21pm I STEPPED out of my apartment at 10am; the temperature had breached the negative. I waited for the 10:06am bus to campus provided by the Iowa City Transit and as I boarded it, I noticed a classmate heading to the same class on foot, her coat billowing. After class, I asked her why she didn’t take the bus to class. It turned out she did not know how the bus transport worked or about the free shuttle service to the city. I have heard similar responses to the use of public transport in the past. Is there a lack of prominent public information on public transportation to alert people to its convenience? I use the Bongo app to check public transportation schedules in Iowa but sometimes the data is scrambled, outdated and inaccurate, with15-minute delays in either direction. The digital monitor of bus arrivals may also be out of order. I reflected on my life back home in Shah Alam. The bus stops were often badly maintained and the bus route display boards were often broken or the ink had faded away. These problems probably upscale with the rise in population of an area. According to the United States Census Bureau, as of last year, Iowa City has a population of 74,000 while the Majlis Bandaraya Shah Alam website states that Shah Alam is home to 650,000 people. The number of bus routes increases with the rise in population. Instead of a route name, MyRapid uses a number system that can get confusing and difficult to remember. Most bus companies post their schedules on their websites. The MyRapid website allows users to input the start and end locations to find the shortest bus route within its ecosystem. It also displays fare prices as well as an estimate of the travel time. Several third party applications available on the iOS and Google application stores allow users to plan their journey. I recommend Moovit app and website as they include train and walking routes into their calculations which are useful if your destination is not connected via a direct route. These solutions rely on the public to actively look them up while most will check the display boards for schedules. If you are a student, who travel to and from campus regularly, and you may even have a car, why should you use public transportation? Actually “Why aren’t you taking the bus?” is a better question. Let’s start with a downside of taking the bus. A paper published for the Asia Pacific International Conference on Environment Behaviour Studies by Universiti Teknologi MARA in September 2013 studied traffic conditions and the different transport management at several universities and provided empirical evidence on campus bus service efficacy as well as the green gestures in ensuring a sustainable environment. It found that though 51.5 per cent of students travelled on campus buses, student satisfaction with the services averaged at 3.24 from a maximum of five. Ridership between peak hours and off-peak periods varied significantly. While the seating capacity was 40 passengers for most campus buses, the number was greatly exceeded during peak hours. This caused congestion at waiting areas and overloading on buses. The mean score for waiting time and punctuality of bus service came out the lowest compared to other aspects at 2.77 and 2.84 respectively. The lack of easy access to accurate information and these findings show the reason why one does not care to find out more about public transportation. However, there are many advantages to public transportation. My fellow students, you wake up in the morning every day trying to get to class on time, you are often sleepy from studying all night and driving a car may not be as safe as you would like. The solution is to take the bus and take a short nap on the way to feel refreshed by the time you arrive at class. And it is a good time to read a book to prepare for class and offer some free time in your day. If your commute amounts to more than an hour, it is a time to be productive. Penang express bus operators want authorities to act on 'ulat tiket' GEORGE TOWN: More than 15 express bus operators at the Sungai Nibong Express Bus Terminal here, are crying foul over ‘harassment’ by ‘ulat tiket’ (ticket touts), who are demanding up to RM18 for each ticket sold. They claimed that their businesses had dipped significantly since the beginning of the month, after they refused to pay off the ticket touts. A spokesman for the group, Edward Lim, who owns Billion Stars Express, said no action has been taken by the enforcement agencies against the ticket touts despite numerous reports lodged since April 1. They also lodged a complaint with the Penang Island City Council. He said the situation was not that bad under the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) but worsened when the Land Public Transport Agency (APAD) took over. Relating their ordeal, Lim said the ticket touts phenomenon was nothing new and they used to pay off the ticket touts between RM12 and RM18 for each of the express bus ticket sold. When they first moved into the terminal 15 years ago, they only paid the ticket touts between RM2 and RM3 for a ticket sold. However, due to the rising costs, they negotiated with the ticket touts to only pay them RM7 for each ticket sold since the beginning of this month but the latter demanded RM12. “We refused to give in, so they started making things very difficult for us. “These touts, who parked themselves at all eight staircases leading to the ticket counters on the top floor, would prevent customers from coming to our counters. They would bring the customers to the other companies which paid them the amount they demanded for. “Things are getting bad that we only managed to sell less than 20 tickets daily from the nearly 2,000 ticket available from the more than 15 bus companies. “The majority of us have started feeling the pinch. I don’t know how long more we can sustain our businesses. Some of us are only dependent on tickets sold via online. “We don’t know who are behind these ticket touts, that they are so brave to act this way,” he told newsmen here today. Lim said more than 15 bus operators covered about 50 per cent of the express bus trips out of Penang daily. Lim urged the authorities to take the necessary actions against the ticket touts. “Until then, we are all considering operating outside the terminal and in Komtar. From tomorrow onwards, we will not enter the terminal proper but will instead park our buses along the roadside to pick up passengers. “If action is taken against us promptly, then something must be wrong as our complaints are not acted upon,” he added. The New Straits Times is trying to get the authorities for comment. KUALA LUMPUR: A morning ride in a Go KL City Bus through the streets of Kuala Lumpur during the Hari Raya break revealed the challenges of a public bus driver. Despite the car-free roads, the bus driver faced numerous obstacles as he weaved in and out of lanes from the Pasar Seni bus hub where the journey started. The obstacles were not only caused by motorists who parked illegally but those waiting along the roads, including at bus stops. At one point, I came across an illegally-parked vehicle bearing the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) logo near the Kota Raya bus stop. I got on the Purple Line bus, which goes through 14 stops and noticed that almost all bus stops had cars parked in front or cars with drivers waiting for passengers. Some bus stops had taxi drivers hogging the space, waiting for customers. The bus driver I was with struggled to pass through the bus stops and had to drop his passengers in the middle of the road. “This is a disaster waiting to happen. “One day someone is going to get involved in an accident because of this,” the bus driver said. The 51-year-old, who has been driving for more than 30 years and with the Go KL City Bus for almost seven years, was familiar with some of the cars parked at bus stops. “You see that taxi, 3377; this fellow waits here every day. “Once I told him to move as his vehicle was obstructing me from dropping a passenger. “He stared at me, and continued to wait there. What am I supposed to do? I just drive pass la... “The red car you see here (as we passed by Kota Raya), belongs to the owner of the massage parlour over there. “I have never seen this car not parked here. What are DBKL and the traffic police doing? I don’t know,” he said. Earlier, the bus driver shared his experience of passengers hurling profanities at him for not picking them up or dropping them off at the bus stops. As he was talking to me, a passenger gave him a death stare for dropping her off slightly further from the bus stop, thanks to cars parked at the bus stop. Before I got off the bus at Pasar Seni, the driver said that parking vehicles illegally at the bus stops could only be stopped when enforcement officers take action. One can only hope that this “disaster waiting to happen” can be addressed soon before it claims someone’s life. Bus driver has no choice but to drop off passengers in middle of road KUALA LUMPUR: A morning ride in a Go KL City Bus through the streets of Kuala Lumpur during the Hari Raya break revealed the challenges of a public bus driver. Despite the car-free roads, the bus driver faced numerous obstacles as he weaved in and out of lanes from the Pasar Seni bus hub where the journey started. The obstacles were not only caused by motorists who parked illegally but those waiting along the roads, including at bus stops. At one point, I came across an illegally-parked vehicle bearing the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) logo near the Kota Raya bus stop. I got on the Purple Line bus, which goes through 14 stops and noticed that almost all bus stops had cars parked in front or cars with drivers waiting for passengers. Some bus stops had taxi drivers hogging the space, waiting for customers. The bus driver I was with struggled to pass through the bus stops and had to drop his passengers in the middle of the road. “This is a disaster waiting to happen. “One day someone is going to get involved in an accident because of this,” the bus driver said. The 51-year-old, who has been driving for more than 30 years and with the Go KL City Bus for almost seven years, was familiar with some of the cars parked at bus stops. “You see that taxi, 3377; this fellow waits here every day. “Once I told him to move as his vehicle was obstructing me from dropping a passenger. “He stared at me, and continued to wait there. What am I supposed to do? I just drive pass la... “The red car you see here (as we passed by Kota Raya), belongs to the owner of the massage parlour over there. “I have never seen this car not parked here. What are DBKL and the traffic police doing? I don’t know,” he said. Earlier, the bus driver shared his experience of passengers hurling profanities at him for not picking them up or dropping them off at the bus stops. As he was talking to me, a passenger gave him a death stare for dropping her off slightly further from the bus stop, thanks to cars parked at the bus stop. Before I got off the bus at Pasar Seni, the driver said that parking vehicles illegally at the bus stops could only be stopped when enforcement officers take action. One can only hope that this “disaster waiting to happen” can be addressed soon before it claims someone’s life. Waiting for the bus: The need to improve public transportation in KL OCTOBER 3 — Ratan Tata had a vision. During his stewardship of the Tata Group, he sought to produce a car that was to be sold at 1 lakh (roughly around RM5,892). However, the Tata Nano was met with lukewarm response and didn’t revolutionise the automotive industry as some people predicted. Mr Tata was driven to manufacture affordable cars to make them more accessible to the poor. He was motivated to do so when he saw the ubiquitous phenomenon of more than two persons on a motorcycle. It is heart wrenching to see sometimes two or three toddlers precariously clinging to the backs of their father just to get to school on time. As much as we go on about how dangerous this is, to most who are economically marginalised, it is a practical necessity and a reality. The same phenomenon that Mr Tata witnessed in the streets of Mumbai is not unfamiliar in Kuala Lumpur. Families have to take a huge gamble every day because the government has failed in its core responsibility to provide access to public transportation. The solution to the problem of getting around places lies not in making private automobiles cheaper. That has many downsides as increasing the amount of automobiles on the road will only lead to the propensity for more accidents to happen and cause massive traffic jams. The realistic solution is to broaden the reach of public transportation. Improving, but still wanting Public transportation has been identified as one of the key areas of the National Key Result Area (NKRA). RapidKL has been commissioned with operating the bus and rail systems in KL. The government has recognised that rail is an essential component of public transport; this can be seen in their investments in the MRT and the electrified railway project from KL to Padang Besar. The KTM Komuter, notorious for its long waiting times and inefficient service, has made great strides. Now, there’s only a gap of 15 minutes between trains. It is positive that finally the government has done something to improve public transportation after decades of neglect. The years of prioritising Proton and constructing endless highways ought to end. It’s time to recalibrate our priorities to ensure that people hop onto a bus instead of taking the car. Yet, despite the progress made it is still not enough. People still elect to take their own private vehicles instead of public transportation. During rush hour, traffic jams are notorious, with a sea of red brake lights engulfing major highways. Kuala Lumpur still fails the public transportation litmus test: can you go anywhere within the parameters of the city in reasonable time by using only public transport? The answer for KL is clearly no. The LRT, monorail and KTM reach limited areas. Buses, which have a more extensive network, are less reliable because of the lack of frequency and punctuality. Of course, the blame is not solely on the bus network; traffic jams contribute to the lack of punctuality of buses and serve to only lengthen this vicious cycle. The causes of this are partly structural, partly cultural. It’s structural because the government is still failing to make public transportation a viable alternative to those who own private vehicles. Companies are also unwilling to offer incentives to employees to take public transport. Town planning is also poor as one most certainly needs some sort of private vehicle to get around. Recognising that the tropical climate is not the best climate to be walking about in, more pedestrian walkways should be built. Despite these improvements, we’re still far behind. The breakdowns at the LRT are far too frequent. There are no bus schedules, thus it makes it difficult for a person without Internet access to plan journeys. The 15-minute interval at the KTM is too long a time to wait, as those with cars can go a considerable distance within 15 minutes. I used to take the bus to work. But the U88 from Kota Damansara to Bangsar (the only bus to Bangsar from Kota Damansara) would take two hours during rush hour as compared to half an hour by car. The trade off is either time or cost, both equally unpleasant. Public transport should also be cheaper. It is sickening to see the amount of subsidies spent on petrol, which benefits the middle to rich class when such sums could have gone to subsidising the cost of public transport and invest more in its maintenance and expansion. Companies should also do more to contribute. They should devise incentives for car pooling, and if they offer seasonal car parks, employees should be able to monetise it to fund the costs of public transport. Less fashionable, but safer Cars should not be seen as a symbol of status in the sense that an acquisition of one would mean that one has achieved the middle class dream. Instead it ought to be seen as a pollution churning machine that incinerates one’s savings due to the costs involved in purchasing and maintaining it. Private vehicles are way more dangerous than say, trains. While trains derailing are not unheard of, on a balance of probabilities, there’s a higher chance of private vehicles colliding than the former happening. We hear about people perishing in ghastly road accidents, something we hear in the news almost weekly, I’m struck by how meaningless these deaths are because of human miscalculation. We’re accustomed to such stories so that it’s not shocking anymore; we’ve become desensitised to it. It’s a pity that this government chooses to invest in roads and a national car instead of something, which has been proven in the first world, to have benefitted the collective.