THE public transport system in urban areas has not been given the serious attention it deserves. And it took the prime minister, despite his heavy schedule, to go on the ground to discover the gross inadequacies in the present system.

Over the years, there has not only been underinvestment, despite increased ridership, but also poor planning and management of the urban transport system.

When the price of petrol increased by 78 sen per litre on June 6, many private car owners switched to the LRT (light rail transit). But they soon switched back to driving their cars because they could not bear the inconvenience and unreliability of the LRT.

The PM himself experienced what it is like to travel during rush hours. He found that the coaches were not only sardine-packed but delays were common and waiting time long. So, although public transport is cheaper, it is not the preferred mode of all commuters.

The poor public transport system is also the reason for the high level of private vehicle ownership in Malaysia (190 per 1,000 people). No wonder about 70 per cent of the 1.2 million cars entering the Kuala Lumpur city centre daily are single-occupancy vehicles.

Despite increasing demand, the original 62 coaches of KTM Komuter have now been reduced to 39 as older ones are phased out. Maintenance and repair of the old coaches takes months or even years.

The 10 sets of new electric motor units (EMUs) will only be delivered in 2010. Why order only 10 EMUs when KTM Komuter had 60 EMUs at the start of operations and demand has increased significantly? In the meantime, the travelling public has to endure more suffering and long waits.

Public transport needs a quick injection of funds. If 10 per cent of the RM6 billion special dividend from Pe-tronas is allocated to public transport, we would have RM600 million instantly.

If such money is made available, KTM can get alternative companies to undertake repairs and maintenance at a faster rate, order more EMUs and hire professionals to operate the commuter system.

Also, the money collected from vehicle owners in the form of road tax should rightly be given back to them in the form of improved infrastructure and a good transport network.

Therefore, the thrust of the government should now be one of encouraging more commuters to switch to using public transport.

Before doing so, it has to promise the travelling public, among other things, reliability or dependability of service, convenience, affordability and safety.

The government also needs to increase the awareness of the rakyat on the use of public transport from a fuel-efficiency perspective.

A sole occupant in a car uses eight times more energy than a person travelling on a bus and 12 times more than a LRT commuter. The motorist also contributes to air pollution.

Improving the public transport system will not be easy as there are 13 government agencies under seven ministers involved in managing and regulating public transport.

An institutional revamp will be necessary to reduce the number of organisations involved.

At the same time, the establishment of the long-overdue proposed Public Transport Commission should be expedited.

With the PM’s intervention, a new age for public transport can begin. There now seems to be a sudden sense of urgency by the ministries concerned to take immediate steps to end the suffering of commuters who depend so much on public transport.

Such surprise visits should be conducted regularly by the ministers concerned to gain first-hand information of what’s happening on the ground.

DR POLA SINGHKuala Lumpur

More to see

I AM glad Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi took the KTM Komuter and LRT trains last Thursday to see for himself what commuters have to go through every day to and from work.

I think other ministers, too, including the Transport Minister, should take such trips.

I often travel on these trains and I can say there is much room for improvement here. What the PM saw was only the tip of the iceberg.

BULBIR SINGHSeremban

Source: NST – August 26, 2008