Next stop: making public transport even more reliable

Free Malaysia Today

FMT spoke with Prasarana CEO Azharuddin Mat Sah to reflect on Rapid KL’s 20 years of service and the transformation of Malaysia's public transportation system.  Read More:  https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2024/11/04/rapid-kl-celebrates-20-years-of-driving-kls-transit-evolution/  Free Malaysia Today is an independent, bi-lingual news portal with a focus on Malaysian current affairs.    Subscribe to our channel - http://bit.ly/2Qo08ry   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Check us out at https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com Follow FMT on Facebook: https://bit.ly/49JJoo5 Follow FMT on Dailymotion: https://bit.ly/2WGITHM Follow FMT on X: https://bit.ly/48zARSW  Follow FMT on Instagram: https://bit.ly/48Cq76h Follow FMT on TikTok : https://bit.ly/3uKuQFp Follow FMT Berita on TikTok: https://bit.ly/48vpnQG  Follow FMT Telegram - https://bit.ly/42VyzMX Follow FMT LinkedIn - https://bit.ly/42YytEb Follow FMT Lifestyle on Instagram: https://bit.ly/42WrsUj Follow FMT on WhatsApp: https://bit.ly/49GMbxW  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Download FMT News App: Google Play – http://bit.ly/2YSuV46 App Store – https://apple.co/2HNH7gZ Huawei AppGallery - https://bit.ly/2D2OpNP  #FMTNews #MohdAzharuddinMatSah #RapidKL #Prasarana

Transcript

00:00In any global city, public transportation is the beating heart that keeps everything

00:08in motion.

00:09It connects people, drives economic growth and shapes the city's future.

00:14Without it, the city's pulse would falter and its potential would remain untapped.

00:32Twenty years ago, Prasarana Malaysia Boraha had stepped up to the plate, taking on the

00:37monumental task of transforming Kuala Lumpur's public transport system.

00:42Established in 2004, Rapid KL, a Prasarana service brand, was tasked with overcoming

00:48multiple challenges faced by the former Star and Putra LRT lines.

00:53Undaunted, Rapid KL set out on its mission to create a unified and efficient public transport

00:58system for Greater Kuala Lumpur.

01:01One of Rapid KL's first major milestones was its integration of the two unconnected

01:05Masjid Jamek stations it inherited into one cohesive hub.

01:10That endeavour marked the beginning of Rapid KL's commitment towards making public transportation

01:15more user-friendly and accessible.

01:17And when we look back at what has been done and achieved, it's been significant.

01:24We have seen tremendous improvements in terms of availability and services in ridership,

01:31but making sure as well that Kuala Lumpur is able then to reach its potential as a global

01:36city and the role of public transport is absolutely important.

01:40In 2009, Rapid KL took another major leap forward with the introduction of four car

01:45trainsets for its Kelana Jaya LRT line.

01:48Then in 2016, Rapid KL expanded its footprint significantly, adding 17.7 km of track and

01:5611 new stations to the Ampang and Sri Petaling lines.

02:00One year later, Rapid KL started operating the Kajang MRT line which quickly developed

02:05into a crucial east-west artery.

02:07In 2023, it began managing the full operations of the entire Putrajaya line, the first phase

02:13of which opened in 2022.

02:15Despite Rapid KL's remarkable growth, its journey has encountered several challenges.

02:21None was more daunting than the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, which saw ridership plummet and trains

02:27and buses fall silent.

02:29Then, just as recovery began to take shape, a collision on the Kelana Jaya line one year

02:35later brought about a severe test of public confidence.

02:39Government was obviously concerned, disappointed it has happened.

02:43My task when I came in at that time, just after the accident, was to ensure that we

02:47do not face or have that terrible situation again.

02:52The government's mandate at the time was to make sure our operations are on par to

02:56gain the trust of the public.

02:58Prasarana's swift and decisive response, which focused on improving operational reliability

03:03and safety, significantly decreased the number of disruptions.

03:082022 was a difficult year, where more than 200 cases or about 50 disruptions in a year

03:16for each line.

03:17We have managed to reduce it to about 20 to 30 in 2023, but this year we want to reduce

03:22it to instincts between 15 to 20 at the most.

03:26Prasarana appears to have been rewarded for its efforts with public confidence enhanced,

03:31as shown by ridership numbers rebounding to pre-pandemic levels.

03:35By connecting communities and providing reliable access to the city, Rapid KL has stimulated

03:41economic growth, increased property values and created thousands of jobs.

03:47Our staff numbers have grown.

03:4820 years ago, if I'm not mistaken, 4,000 to 5,000.

03:50We are now a company of 13,000 staff and a lot of them are frontliners.

03:55The importance of Prasarana becoming an artery for Kuala Lumpur and to reduce congestion

04:01on the road.

04:02Additionally, Prasarana is focused on providing innovative solutions to improve accessibility

04:07and bridge the crucial first and last mile connectivity gap for commuters.

04:12And more recently, and which we have recently launched, the system we call Demand Responsive

04:16Transit.

04:17It was an idea that was mooted in Prasarana to test out how can we make sure it's easier

04:21for the customers to plan the journey.

04:23We started last year with three vans and the response was enormously positive.

04:28We decided then to purchase 150 for this year and in our discussion with Ministry of Finance

04:33and they believed that this is the right solution, they gave us additional funding to buy 300

04:38vans.

04:39Plans are also afoot to upgrade to an open payment system and implement smart technologies,

04:44all of which is geared towards making public transport more user-friendly and efficient.

04:49Ultimately, we served the Raya and that's all seen from the ridership, which has now

04:54reached pre-COVID and we expect to go higher this year.

04:56We are reaching 1.2 million passengers a day.

04:59This is very satisfying because it serves the nation of the people of Malaysia and Kuala

05:03Lumpur particularly.

05:04Rapid KL is more than just a transportation provider, it's the artery that keeps Kuala

05:09Lumpur moving.

05:10The mission isn't just about reflecting on the past 20 years, but about forging ahead

05:16to strengthen these vital connections, reduce congestion and ensure that the pulse of this

05:21city continues to beat with vitality.

05:26Hannah Kam, FMT Business.

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