FRIGHT week is here, or the parliamentary tabling of the Auditor General's Report.
Top marks for the AG's candour and grading of those who continue to mismanage public funds. While the AG Report bares financial and fiduciary delinquencies, we are focused on a particular enterprise: public transport efficiency, or the lack thereof. The AG Report 2/2024 highlighted the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) 1 and MRT2's missed ridership targets, train operations and peak hour frequencies.
The MRT1's daily ridership has fluctuated between 10.8 per cent and 37.4 per cent against 2017 projected targets, when it fully commenced operations, through 2023. Transport Minister Anthony Loke has pledged to enhance the efficiency of the MRT and light rail transit (LRT) by setting key performance indicators for Prasarana Malaysia Bhd, the public train concessionaire and operator.
Loke said weaknesses are being rectified in spite of the AG's Report.
We defer to Loke's probity, understanding that the MRT has been part of the public transport behemoth stretching back decades, a "legacy business" he inherited. Yet Loke understands the value of "reliable services", underscoring that ridership has in fact increased this year.
Prasarana services a million passengers daily, with 800,000 commuting by the MRT and LRT, and 200,000 taking the bus. The MRT is a technological marvel that regular users aren't overly impressed with: station accessibility is still found wanting, usage is inefficient, performance lags behind our southern neighbour's proficiency, and there's the occasional service glitch.
Here's an idea: why not emulate the train services of our southern neighbour's technical know-how or advanced cities like London and Tokyo? The short answer is: impractical and not pragmatic.
First, the London Underground and Tokyo Metro reflect their cities' historical, cultural and technological superiority. Mere copying without adapting the commuting habits and standards just won't do.
Also, transposing these technologies domestically means massively overhauling operations — not just the system, but also logistics and even infrastructure — after sinking billions in costs. Moreover, if copying was the solution, this should have been done from the very beginning, but it would have meant enormous expenditure.
Besides, there're too many mouths to feed locally — the lot who will insist that infrastructural construction and operational funding be done domestically. Bottom line: we would just have to fulfil the efficiency experts' pledges while they work with what they have.
Penang and Johor Baru, which may plan to run an MRT system, would see it prudent to study Kuala Lumpur's public train tribulations.