Updates #43
1. Article: Push for a bike friendly city goes on (The Star) – Information about a plan to make Penang more bicycle friendly. For more information you may also want to see http://www.pbb.com.my.
2. Article: Call to install partitions in taxis (Malay Mail) – Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department T. Murugiah calls for the installation of safety partitions in taxicabs to protect driver and passenger.
3. Letter: ‘No haggling’ sign is just for show (The Star) – @Victimized of Kuala Lumpur comments on his experiences with taxicabs in Puchong that bear the “No Haggling” sign.
[TRANSIT: We said it already, here. Join us and give us your feedback.]
4. Article: Panel for standard fares (The Star) – Information about a plan to standardize commercial vehicle tariffs between Sabah and Sarawak, with some information about the future of the CVLB in Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo.
5. Letter: Report cabbies who refuse to use the meter (The Star) – @Victimized of Kuala Lumpur points out that cabbies are becoming afraid of being reported.
6. Article: Water taxi services to be extended (The Star) or Developing river transportation in Kuching (Borneo Post) –
Kuching water taxi services may be extended to other communities if there is a demand. There is also mention of a water taxi design competition (more information here.)
7. Article: Govt contracts to be made public from Thursday onwards (Malay Mail) – also includes some statistics about public transport growth resulting from the Government Transformation Programme.
[TRANSIT: As happy as the government might be about RapidBET, we have to be realistic. If each bus has a capacity of 60 persons. There are 4 buses on each RapidBET route, and 4 routes in total, or 960 extra passengers in the morning and afternoon.
That is not exactly a huge number of people – it is the equivalent of 1 of the new 4-carriage trains.
Now, if RapidKL took back the Long-haul buses that they are using on the DTS Cyberjaya service (most of which travel empty and spend lots of time sitting at the Cyberjaya Transport Terminal) they could implement all-day RapidBET service and really move a lot more people.]
8. Letter: Trains are a better alternative (NST) – NORIZAN ABDUL RAHMAN of Penang calls for an improvement to intercity rail service, citing the cost advantages of rail which is half that of road transport.
9. Letter: Be practical and logical to improve public transport (The Star) – Pat Abraham of Kuala Lumpur comments on a recent letter about the role of the states in public transport and gives feedback about some of the small issues that annoy passengers.
[TRANSIT: Unfortunately, logic does not always apply when it comes to anything government-related. TRANSIT has heard many stories from people in the government & transport industry who are frustrated by the roadblocks that they have to face.]
Transit Malaysia 