By Dr. Brian Yu
“While Budget 2025’s increase in the number of EV buses and train carriages in service is a good step with regards to boosting the availability of not just transport infrastructure, but green transport infrastructure, more needs to be done to encourage usability all round. Indeed, more initiatives like the continuation of My50 monthly pass and the recently announced free BAS.MY fares scheme for students would be welcomed by the industry. Our public transportation infrastructure remains critically underused by Malaysian passengers, particularly in and around Klang Valley.
Malaysia faces a longstanding first-and-last-mile connectivity issue. While there are already several useful ideas out there, such as pedestrian covered walkways, cycling paths, the adoption of e-scooters, and park N’ ride schemes – implementation will need to be scaled up. Increased shuttle routes for feeder buses at optimal timings to underserved areas, for example, can be a simple but cost-efficient option to increase usage of public transportation.
Further, advanced technology and data analytics can be leveraged to provide riders with a better, and more seamless passenger experience. There is potential to build an integrated single platform, for example, a mobile application, that allows users to purchase tickets across different modes of transport, i.e, KTM and RapidKL, as well as provide real-time updates on arrival timings and delays. Service operators can also use live data captured to better understand travel patterns and optimise service. For example, introducing increased service frequency during peak travel periods. Digital technology can also be leveraged to optimise efficiency during regular system and existing infrastructure audits to better predict and pinpoint areas that require periodic maintenance – effectively ensuring that our infrastructure is able to run smoothly for the long-term.
For new projects or areas of development, we can look to markets like Hong Kong, Japan, and China to emulate their success in building Transit-Oriented Developments (TOD), a solution that encourages mixed-use developments around public transit systems. There is huge potential in Malaysia to scale build up of TODs across the country, particularly as TODs can have a positive impact on local economic development by increasing the value of nearby properties and land.
This will require the private sector and local authorities to work hand-in-hand to ensure that strategic planning and management is embedded across the whole lifecycle of an infrastructure project, alongside an approach that seamlessly unifies comprehensive urban planning with transport strategy.
The author is the Malaysia Infrastructure Group Lead for Arup
