THE government has acted fairly to bus and taxi operators by agreeing to their protracted demand for a fare increase.

Now that the fares are increased, it should be the unfailing responsibility of RapidKL, the leading bus operator in the Klang Valley to make sure that its buses run on schedule. For this to happen and to fulfil the commuters’ need, it must display the schedule at bus stops and strictly follow it.

And more importantly, bus routes that are being serviced by only one bus, giving shortage of buses as an excuse, must be increased to two or three as may be necessary.

The enforcement agency responsible for ensuring the efficient running of bus services must not neglect its duty to monitor and carry out regular checks at bus terminals to ensure buses run on schedule and take prompt action when necessary. This is very important and should not be left to the bus operators to handle.

Without these measures in place, there is every likelihood for the system to go back to square one much to the detriment of our commuters.    

Source: The Sun – July 31, 2009