LIVING off campus, Danial Azman, 23, from International Islamic University Malaysia uses the Rapid bus and LRT to commute to university every day.
“With the MyRapid concession card, I only pay half the price. For instance, I take a bus from my house in Ampang to KLCC. Then my LRT ride from KLCC station to Gombak station costs RM1.70 instead of the normal fare of RM3.50.
“Taking two trips daily, I spend RM68 in a month for my LRT fare. It’s a lot cheaper than RM140 for normal priced tickets. Now, RM100 can last me for two months depending on use,” said Danial.
Having a passion for travelling, Danial added that he is aware of student discount programmes such as the Malaysia Airlines MH Explorer.
Prasarana Malaysia offers the MyRapid concession card to students in all categories from primary school to university.
Prasarana group chief operating officer (operations) Muhammad Nizam Alias said: “Students who are concession card holders enjoy 50 per cent off the adult fare for our services, namely LRT, Monorail, BRT, MRT, RapidKL buses and MRT feeder buses.
“Students can apply for the concession card via our website and it is valid for one year from the date of issuance.”
The discounted rates enable students to save a lot of money.
“For example the adult fare for an LRT ride from the Gombak station to Universiti station is RM4.10. If someone takes two trips per day, the total amounts to RM164.
“With the concession card, students only spend RM80 monthly. On average, students save RM80 to RM100 in a month, depending on the origin and destination stations,” said Muhammad Nizam.
“From January until October this year, we have 41,162 active MyRapid concession card holders,” he added.
Malaysia’s largest rail service Keretapi Tanah Melayu offers the KTM i-Card for secondary school, college and university students.
KTMB corporate communications head Ahmad Asri Khalbi said that students are entitled to 40 per cent discount rate from the adult fare.
“The discount is eligible for Electric Train Service and KTM Intercity. Students are required to apply for the virtual card through the KTMB website and it is valid for one year from the date of issue or until the end of their studies.
“The 40 per cent discount helps students to save money for other necessities. We charge nominal fees but if you’re a frequent traveller, the i-Card is worth it,” said Ahmad Asri.
A large number of students have signed up for the card to ease their travels.
“Last year, the total number of KTM i-Card holders was 43,699. By using the card, students can save up to RM330 per month instead of paying RM1,080 on adult fare.”