Alternative Exploration: Bus 772

Whilst being a critical connector for the Subang Airport and Subang Suria/Pinggiran Subang population, its function should not be underestimated. Potentially cutting times to under 10 minutes between LRT and KTM transfers is a great benefit for Petaling Jaya (PJ) residents. What is stopping PJ residents from using this? Frequency. Let’s look into some key findings and what will the future of this route be like if it were to be improved.

Pros

• Express journey between Ara Damansara and Asia Jaya (only stopping around Setia Jaya area)
  • LRT Asia Jaya to KTM Setia Jaya: +-12 mins
  • KTM Setia Jaya to Ara Damansara: +-8 mins
  • LRT Universiti to KTM Setia Jaya: +-17 mins
  • These journeys timed around 5pm
• Coverage for Pinggiran Subang residents to reach Setia Jaya, Seri Setia, PJ New Town. Connection to Sunway, Taman Megah, Seapark, Subang Jaya. Also coverage for SS9, Jalan Gasing area.
  • The bus is almost FULL after Ara Damansara towards Subang Suria in the evening peak.

• Good last-mile route for PJ New Town, Kerinchi, Bangsar shoplot employees, as well as blue collar workers
• Short walk from PPUM
• Last-mile option for LRT Kelana Jaya Line (overlap)
• Mostly double-deckered buses used

• Interpeak congestion in the afternoon is manageable in regulating bus frequency

Cons

• Frequency
  • Off-peak every 1hr
  • Peak every 20 to 30 mins
• Congestion bottlenecks
  • Hotspots: Federal Highway, Jalan Bangsar, Lingkungan Budi junction
• Barely anybody uses KTM due to track works
• BRT Sunway Line not sufficiently economical without concession or MY50 (regular usage)
• Accessibility issues, such as KTM Setia Jaya being not wheelchair accessible.
  • Bridge across Subang Airport arterial road is tall and does not have lift connection to LRT Ara Damansara.
  • Unsheltered connection from bus stop to KTM Setia Jaya from bus stop, in addition to stair-only access
• There seems to be insufficient residential catchment along the way except in the Pinggiran Subang area. Neighbouring areas such as SS3 and Seri Setia are either difficult to reach or has low density.

Suggested Improvements

• Increase in frequency
  • Peak: Every 8 to 15 mins
  • Off-peak: Every 12 to 20 mins
  • Weekends: Every 10 to 25 mins
• Infrastructure upgrades to multimodal interchange (i.e. Setia Jaya, Ara Damansara)
• KTM KVDT needs to be completed
• Medium-term: Federal Highway bus lane
• Frequency improvements to related routes
  • Routes serving the same corridor such as 780 need to serve fewer stops, alignment straightening and have higher frequency. This will create a domino effect to reduce Federal Highway congestion
• Regeneration projects needed
  • More catchment area needed as the skew to last-mile patronage is large.
  • Suggested areas: north of KTM Seri Setia (midrise), Seksyen 8 Petaling Jaya (midrise)
• BRT Lebuh Pudu/Pasar Seni to Klang.
  • Redundancy needed for destinations not only to Pasar Seni.
  • The BRT line should be express between Pasar Seni and Taman Jaya. We have sufficient overlap with LRT Kelana Jaya Line already, and should be attractive enough to Klang residents.
  • Majority of the Federal Highway congestion comes from Shah Alam and Klang demand. LRT Shah Alam Line would serve upcoming local demand, but does not provide a trunk option on this busy corridor into PJ New town, being a well established satellite commercial hub and work zone.

Future Demand

Here are a few points we need to consider:

• Can KTM Port Klang Line have its capacity upgraded?
  • There are big catchment areas in PJ Old Town, Padang Jawa and Klang, added by great ridership from Batu Tiga and Shah Alam.
  • Passengers from PJ Old Town side may need 772 to head to Subang Airport and Ara Damansara. Passengers from Shah Alam have options at Seri Setia or Setia Jaya. The redundancy of BRT Klang Line also gives more options.
  • While there are space constraints, upgrading to 3 tracks is sufficient to provide skip-stop express services. Track addition up to Subang Jaya is enough to encourage more long-distance commutes. For example, a Padang Jawa resident may take this express to get to their workplace at Segambut faster.
• Will Klang and Shah Alam commuters from BRT Klang Line change to 772 to reach Subang Airport and Ara Damansara?
• Would a Selayang to Puchong Monorail boost ridership? This monorail route may cover Damansara Perdana, Bdr Sri Damansara, SS2, SS3.
  • Puchong to Setia Jaya via BRT Sunway Line would be critical and a shortcut for Pinggiran Subang users working in Puchong.
• Should Setia Jaya have a bus interchange?
• Will more Petaling Jaya, Shah Alam and Klang residents use Subang Airport?
• Will this relieve LRT Kelana Jaya line crowd between USJ7 and Asia Jaya due to Sunway commuters utilising this shortcut?

In a nutshell, Federal Highway may need some rework for 772 to reach near full potential. Comment your suggestions or let us know how was your ride on 772!

Want to find out more about the alignment of Bus 772? Click on the link below (also can be used to check out other route alignments):
https://myrapidbus.prasarana.com.my/kiosk?route=834&bus=