CONSISTENT policies, process improvements, and good governance are moving the Transport Ministry (MOT) in the right direction. 

The railway projects – Southern Double Track Project, Johor Baru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS), East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) – have been reaffirmed by the government to continue. 

This avoids the inconsistent policies of the past few years, where projects have been reversed due to concerns about future financial liabilities and sovereignty issues, particularly regarding foreign state-owned enterprises. 

The RTS project will promote two-way mobility, with Johor able to promote tourism, while those living in Johor Baru but working in Singapore could use their purchasing power to boost domestic demand. 

The ECRL will link two ports between the central region and the east coast, as well as industrial parks and logistics centres. 

Continuing to improve public transport 

The LRT3 project – as announced by the recent Budget 2023 – will continue, extending metro network coverage to Shah Alam and areas in Klang. 

The Bandaraya LRT line is undergoing major repairs. Pending the completion of the Klang Valley Double Track (KVDT) project, this will further improve the reliability of the KTM railways. 

At the same time, the MyRailtime app, which is used to track the live time of all KTM trains, has been merged with the existing KTMB app to provide a seamless user experience. 

The government should consider including the KTM service in the MY50 monthly pass. This would significantly reduce transport costs for those who need to travel on both KTM and Prasarana-operated metro services. 

Making bus travel convenient

With the development of online travel agencies (OTAs) towards a monopolistic or oligarchic market structure, the time is ripe to establish an open and shared infrastructure.

Passengers at the Terminal Bersepadu Selatan (TBS) terminal are able to purchase tickets through multiple OTAs and simply board the bus with a QR code without the hassle of verification at counters. 

Crucially, TBS management does not own any bus operating service, which avoids conflicts of interest and provides a great opportunity for improved governance.  

The current TBS model offers centralised ticketing, convenient boarding without printing and checking at the counter, and comfortable infrastructure that will be gradually extended to other bus terminals. 

Improving the user experience and ensuring healthy competition will lead to the sustainability of the bus industry.

Improve airline management and services

Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) aerotrain should be granted an allocation for repairs as the current two-way track has become a one-way track.  

As KLIA represents the image of the country, the authorities must not wait till the train breaks down before repairing it.

Typical governance issues arising from the airline industry are the price of air tickets, frequent flight delays and cancellations, and refund issues. 

The government has successfully worked with the airlines to introduce promotional fares for limited tickets during festive seasons. 

The situation in the peninsula is less worrisome once the ETS South Line and ECRL become operational, and efforts are made to gradually extend the TBS bus terminal model to major city bus terminals. 

All in all, the Transport Ministry is boosting people’s confidence in the country’s transport. – May 22, 2023.  

* Nick Tan Beng Teong graduated with Bachelor of Economics at University of Malaya. A member of Agora Society, Tan believes in policy reforms in order to build a better nation.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.