Buses still needed for Klang Valley

PETALING JAYA: The public transport system in the Klang Valley cannot do without buses even with the upcoming Mass Rail Transit (MRT), according to PJ Utara parliamentarian Tony Pua.

He said bus services helped countries such as Hong Kong and Singapore to have a high public transport use.

“Any successful public transport plan will include buses,” Pua said, adding that 90% of Hong Kong and 60% of Singapore’s population used public transport.

“Bus ridership contributes at least 50% of the total public transport ridership in Hong Kong and 62% in Singapore despite highly efficient MRTs.”

In contrast, Pua said that only 14% of the Klang Valley’s denizens used public transport.

Pua had previously asked the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) to provide details on its plans for bus services.

He said that buses should be used as a complement and an alternative to the MRT.

However, SPAD chairman Syed Hamid Albar offered scant information on the commission’s plans for the Klang Valley’s buses.

Syed Hamid only said that bus operations would not be set aside, as “50% of MRT commuters would be relying on bus transport services”.

He also accused Pua of “politicising” the issue with his demands.

Syed Hamid ‘politicising’

Annoyed with Syed Hamid’s allegation, Pua said: “Syed Hamid should deal with the issues raised instead of crying ‘politicising’ whenever SPAD is asked to explain its policies.”

He said that SPAD’s policies appeared to be heavily reliant on the massive RM46 billion MRT system, while buses took a step back.

Calling the MRT a rush-job, Pua said that SPAD needed to be clearer on how bus terminals would be integrated with key MRT stations.

“In Singapore, practically all stations outside of the central business district are integrated with bus terminals to ensure convenient access and efficient dispersal of traffic in the suburban centres,” he said.

Pua added that Singapore’s Toa Payoh, Ang Mo Kio, Bradell, Yishun or Woodlands MRT stations were examples of highly integrated transport hubs between the MRT and buses.

The DAP MP said that “park and ride” facilities at selected MRT stations were not enough.

He also asked why existing bus terminals, such as Bandar Utama’s, would not be integrated with the nearby MRT station.

Pua also questioned the lack of expert involvement on the MRT, especially where station placement and track alignment was concerned.

“How are the public and any other interest groups able to make objective assessments of the MRT project without such critical accompanying data?” he asked.

He accused SPAD of acting as “hatchet men” for the MRT alignment, which allegedly comes under an MMC-Gamuda joint-venture, instead of taking an interest in Malaysians as a whole.

Deafening silence

In the face of a deafening silence from SPAD, many industry experts have called for a greater emphasis on bus services.

Prasarana managing director Shahril Mokhtar previously told FMT that the Klang Valley’s public transport system needed a total overhaul.

He said that SPAD needed to relook at existing bus routes, and called on the local government to play a more proactive role when it came to public transport, especially where schedule
information at bus stops was concerned.

The lack of a public transport masterplan was also noted by many in the industry, even with news of SPAD coming out with one later this year.

Interestingly enough, work on the MRT would start well before this masterplan is released.

Pan Malaysian Bus Operators Association (PMBOA) vice-president Razali Endon had also told FMT that the country had never drafted a policy on public transport since Independence.

This absence of a central plan, he said, contributed to many transport problems, including a ridiculous amount of bureaucracy.

Private bus operators, Razali added, had to deal with an alleged 16 different agencies in their day-to-day operations.