Rapid does not equal fast in Kuala Lumpur

I can empathise with the misgivings that a writer of the letter to the editor's page mentioned on the not so rapid RapidKL buses plying the city routes. The writer had to take three buses from her home to her work place and waits at the bus stop by 5.50 am. She'll reach her destination by 9 am or sometimes even 9.30 am. That is a three hours of commuting time and most probably the same time is spent in the evenings. Can you imagine six hours every working day spent using our “rapid” buses? The culprit is a connecting bus that does not seem to be running on schedule. We hear the same grouses regarding shuttle bus services that service the light rail transit commuters.

The usual explanation would be that congested roads delayed the bus and the management apologises for any inconvenience caused. That often repeated phrase “the management apologises for any inconvenience caused” would get my vote as one of the most misused in circulation among our service providers. An apology by itself does not bring back the hours wasted waiting for the bus or looking for further information on why a delay occurred and when it can be rectified. The service provider's personnel suddenly are not to be seen when the passenger wants to seek a clarification. We have to depend on other fellow passengers instead to find out what has transpired.

A six hours journey seems such an oxymoron when we have the highways criss-crossing every residential area and business centre in the city. Alas, the highways are built to ease the journey of the cars, usually single occupied. The much touted national car industry has indirectly spawned the highways that kept being built to cater for the increasing number of cars. Everyone wants a car for the convenience since the public transport system is unable to bring someone from one place to another within a reasonable time.

The freedom to drive on your own even when you are stuck in the traffic contrasts with the uncertainty of when you will reach your destination if using the public transport. Buses are not a priority in the town planners master plan but highways are almost always indicated with those dotted lines when we look at maps of new housing areas. Buses could never compete with cars until and unless a radical overhaul is made to give priority to the public transportation system. This does not just mean the billions of ringgit that will be spend extending the current light rail transport lines or building the mass rapid transport system but a more holistic approach that puts the emphasis on the humble bus again.

Can we ever even dream of having a reliable public transport system in future? Maybe that day will come when the Prime Minister himself commutes by bus to his office or the Parliament House.

Image from transitmy