This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on November 18, 2024 - November 24, 2024

When talking about public transport, Selangor state exco of investment, trade and mobility Ng Sze Han prefers to look at it in the context of moving people instead of moving vehicles with people in them.

Generally, people tend to look at electric vehicles and public transport as a means to reduce carbon footprint and travel sustainably, but what is more effective is having a walkable township and good first-and-last mile connections to public transport.

As Malaysia is seeing hotter and wetter days due to climate change, it could hinder many Malaysians from turning to active forms of mobility and public transport as their means of travel.

“Malaysians prefer to live in landed property instead of high-rise buildings, which means the township is expanding horizontally instead of vertically, meaning there is larger ground that needs to be covered [with public transport services] to ensure that transport is accessible and convenient,” Ng explains.

“It is a very big challenge for a public transport provider to provide the service up to your doorstep. It’s almost impossible, especially with the prevalence of gated communities. This is why we have the demand-responsive transit (DRT) that fills the gap between that of a bus and e-hailing providers.”

DRT solution providers have begun serving Klang Valley residents this year. RapidKL DRT, Kumpool, and Selangor’s mobi and Trek Rides, offered by Selangor Mobility, can often be seen on the streets, ferrying passengers to and from train stations.

In Selangor, the first-and-last mile on-demand vehicles operate within a designated neighbourhood and can be booked via its respective apps. Passengers will be picked up and sent to any virtual stop in the area using the most optimal route determined by artificial intelligence.

The virtual stops are set every 200m to 300m, covering residential areas, flats, condominiums, office buildings, train stations, universities and other amenities within a community or township.

“It is booked like e-hailing but the cost is lower (RM2 flat rate) and this can tackle both the accessibility and affordability problem we have. The goal is to reduce dependence on private vehicles,” says Ng.

The DRT’s six-month proof-of-concept period ended on July 31. Now, the state government will need to determine how to properly execute this so that it is also a financially sustainable solution. Ng says it is currently determining the areas to cover, as well as the new rates, which will be announced by the first quarter (1Q) of next year.

The evaluation is also needed to determine how to provide better services in underserved areas. Ng explains that currently, more remote areas in Gombak do not see many bookings but areas such as Subang Jaya, which has many offices and universities, see high booking rates.

“From my observation in underserved areas, while there is a demand for public transport, the challenge is that many of them rely on motorcycles to go to work and it is a lot more convenient,” says Ng.

“We collected data and it shows that areas similar to Sunway (in Subang Jaya) need this service and it is easier for them to adapt to this concept. We subsidised eight zones during the proof-of-concept period for data collection.”

Ng says the state will be rolling out electric buses by the end of this year or 1Q2025, starting in Shah Alam. He laments, however, that it is still an expensive endeavour.

There are also problems that need to be resolved. Many complaints of the DRT services online involve long waiting times, which makes it difficult for commuters to plan their journey.

Ng says the state government is actively monitoring the performance of both mobi and Trek on a monthly basis and are in regular communication with the operators to address user concerns and enhance service quality.

“It’s important to note that DRT offers public transport that adjusts based on user demand, similar to bus services, but with the added flexibility of responding to individual requests. Since DRT is a shared service, waiting times can vary; however, we strive to ensure that these wait times remain reasonable from the moment an order is placed,” he says.

Another inconvenience is that users will have to use different apps — switching between Kummute, Trek, mobi and myRapid — to book rides. Ng adds that the government is working on backend integration between these operators, but there are challenges that need to be managed, such as operational costs, regulatory compliance and data usage.

“We are diligently working through these issues to streamline the process and improve the user experience.”

Besides relying on DRT, it is also important to enable commuters to walk or cycle to the train or bus stations. That is why the state government is trying its best to improve the walkway connectivity.

The focus now is for the 12 local councils to build 25,842m of walkway, says Ng. Later on, the government will look at adding a cover to shelter pedestrians from the sun and rain.

As Kinrara state assemblyman, Ng started by constructing a 2km walkway from Bandar Puteri to the Wawasan Recreational Park. “People always complained about the lack of parking and I told them that if you are going there for exercise why not walk there? But then they said that there was no clear route to walk, which is a fair point,” he says.

While there is no clear visibility as to how long it will take to develop these walkways, Ng has instructed the local councils to ensure that it is a project that is prioritised.

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