KUALA LUMPUR: Netizens called on the government to upgrade and improve the country's public transport system instead of offering one-off freebies, which they said will not help ease their commute.
The barrage of comments spotlighting Malaysia's inefficient public transport system and poorly maintained facilities, including lifts and escalators at stations operated by RapidKL as well as KTM Komuter in the Klang Valley, were shared on Twitter and Facebook.
The remarks came following the government's announcement yesterday that the public can use the public transport systems in the Klang Valley without paying a sen for one month starting yesterday.
"I repeat. I would rather you (stakeholders) fix the trains than do this. What's the point of giving out free rides if we can't even commute to begin with? Or did they mysteriously forget about the lack of trains at Pasar Seni recently?", a netizen tweeted.
"Fix the escalator and lift too please, especially at station MRT Kajang and MRT Pasar Seni," another wrote.
"Price not an issue if the service is efficient. Why does the ministry never get this?," a frequent commuter asked.
"Don't take us for a ride with free rides. This still doesn't solve the problem as there will still be long lines at transit stations like Pasar Seni. Why not increase train frequency? Get the public transport system fixed," a netizen said.
Another commuter wrote: "I'm scared of the repercussions of this. Train stations will only get more crowded.
"One month of free public transport rides but almost everything malfunctions or has some sort of problem, especially at Pasar Seni.
"It's free alright but how many trains can we expect in an hour? One or two?", others asked.