A PARLIAMENTARIAN or a political group should urgently champion the issue of public transport in Kuala Lumpur, especially the city’s bus systems.

With the world food crisis and oil prices gushing to ominous levels, a dramatic increase in RapidKL and private buses could conceivably calm the nerves of those banking on their Ringgit to perform spectacular feats. The price of a city bus is in the region of RM350,000. With an all-day ticket of RM2, commuters would — in an ideal world— be delivered to workplaces, attend a few meetings, buy a book, take in the green sights of KL and go home refreshed. My faith in city buses has not wavered since 2005 when I had a picture taken amidst those bright buses at KL Sentral soon after RapidKL materialised. I was then harbouring hopes of writing a travel book from the standpoint of a faithful commuter. The improved bus service then had a workable idea; smaller types of buses routed in and out of housing estates and delivering passengers to terminals where longer-route vehicles would whisk them away to their intended destinations. The first signs of disruptions came when I found myself goading Faisal, a young chap who answered calls to the Help Line. “Now tell me, do you take the bus? It makes no sense for a bus to bypass this area of 10,000…” Or finally, “Can you imagine the effects on my self-esteem having to wait here for two hours?” The sense of being defeated, of becoming a kind of amis!t unable to provide charismatic leadership to one’s family, struck home. Alas, the Help Line was terminated. Fast forward to today and, definitely a new forumis required because the fastest means of public transport improvement is simply to have more buses. Tackle the issue of traffic “ow and trickle, and buses can provide an amazing infrastructure of almost door-to-door service with commuters like me fruitfully clearing some reading assignments on a reliable ride to and from work. Imagine the implications. Most commuters will develop to be astute planners, combining a network of services – from shorter taxi travels to buses on less-congested routes and longer-haul train journeys. A “awed concept is the colloquial thinking of bus equals poor man’s travel and thus, provide a cutting corners bus service with the lower-income groups in mind. But, we cannot continue to have limited ambition on two fronts: firstly, commuters need (and want) to upgrade, and two, the speed with which we move talents (we are all talents) along city roads is a key economic indicator. Comfort is essential. Some classes of RapidKL buses were obviously brought in from China. On one of my pioneering trips, the driver pressed the wrong button and Mandarin announcement of next stops in Beijing came on, followed with English translations. This was a source of amusement to the passengers, some of whom were foreign students from China. No complaints, whatsoever, but the seats do test ‘bottom line’ composure and city-living frayed nerves. On the strategic front,more buses could very well raise the country’s marketability among foreign students and tourists. RapidKL buses could be a touristic brand. An additional reason for locals to consider public transport is driving in KL precludes one’s appreciation of this wonderful city. Take the monorail from Bukit Bintang to Brickfields and rediscover in the sights, your love for our great City. It seems that 700-odd RapidKL buses now service the entire Klang Valley, chalking up average daily passenger traf!c of approximately 400,000. Many more buses are required so that we could have services — and this is a personal preference — shuttling from Mid Valley to Bandar Utama on the Kerinchi Link and from Bandar Utama to Hentian Duta via the Penchala Link. Batteries of university students can help conduct interviews on recommended routes and ideal frequencies. The attractiveness of not driving in KL cannot be underestimated. It does follow that additional spending on new buses would spawn value creation – a host of technical support staff andmore drivers looking at it as a proper, professional career. Admittedly, all these will require more investments, but there are the huge economic efficiency prospects to consider. The entire debate rests on one point — more buses. Withwell-thought out planning and execution, there can be the much-needed ‘quality of life’ delivery — enhanced frequency, end to crippling detours and more routes, including some fantastic ones that will be a delight to ply. And, when more opt for this convenient, efficient and inexpensive alternative, the perception of bus commuter equals diminished status will be a thing of the past. Rashid Yusof, on sabbatical from 24-hour journalism, is looking to dredge up a range of arguments and a smattering of ideas for the public domain. That shall be the professed aim of Sri Ombudsman.

Source: Malay Mail – May 12, 2008