DIFFERENT payment methods, from cash to card to QR code to tokens, have been introduced to speed things up for rail commuters. The latest convenience: a new open system allowing MyDebit and credit cards at gantries.
This open system, which Transport Minister Anthony Loke expects to be fully operational by 2025, should ease movement for the 100,000-odd daily commuters, thus alleviating traffic congestion, especially for routes to Putrajaya.
Further helping commuters is Prasarana Malaysia's deployment of 118 buses and shuttles towards Putrajaya, involving 44 routes and 23 stations, with a frequency of 15 minutes. All these aim to coax city residents to commute by public transport and leave their vehicles behind. Post-pandemic, trains are especially indispensable, now that work-from-home rules have been phased out.
So, it's back to normal office routine for most workers, which means commuting. But here's the rub: the commuters, even the 98 million total passengers recorded last year, are possibly only a fraction of the riders who can actually take the trains.
That's because the motorised masses are either too besotted with their vehicles or assume trains are too much of a hassle despite the obvious convenience. In examining these motorists' psychology, there is an irony: over here, city trains seem to be a no-no, but once in London, they would gladly travel on the Tube or on public buses.
Why the contrasting attitudes? It can't be snobbery, though it may be a factor. For one thing, the weather. In London, Tube stations are within walking distance, making feeder services unnecessary, helped by the chill and pleasant weather. Also, the mindset: London's public transport history goes back to the late 19th century. Here, we are still progressing, so hung up are city folks with their cars.
So, to contain congestion, how can the government cut down office commute by private cars? The hard choice is to minimise the number of cars going into the city during rush hour — a decades-old proposal — by charging entry fees for restricted zones.
Simply put, make it expensive to drive into congested cities. However, the proposal languishes because there's no political will. Singapore has had no qualms implementing this system for decades, so why can't we?
Rail concessionaires can do more to make services more user-friendly: open payment systems, more comfortable coaches, more connecting feeder buses and more modern and breezy stations, but they're battling motorists' stubbornness. Unless, of course, if one day Kuala Lumpur's searing weather suddenly drops to 20⁰°C or below, promising a pleasurable stroll to the nearest train station.