KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 7 — The KTM Komuter service is safer than riding motorcycles and now more reliable with its 97 per cent on-time service, rail operator Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) said today after a recent fare hike.

KTMB president Lt Col (Rtd) Sarbini Tijan said the operator’s Komuter service was previously only on schedule with 56 per cent to 60 per cent of its trains.

“Now our punctuality is over 95 per cent or 97 per cent and at the same time, to date, we don’t have any major accidents that led to deaths,” he told a press conference here less than a week after the KTM implemented the higher ticket prices.

A fact sheet by KTMB showed that only 17 per cent of its Komuter trains were on time in 2011, but this was 97 per cent as of this October.

Sarbini disagreed with suggestions that the Komuter’s fare increase will lead to more commuters switching to motorcycles and other forms of private transport, pointing out the multiple discounts given to Komuter passengers such as for those who are regular users or with Touch n Go cards.

Highlighting his own experience in riding motorcycles, Sarbini also said this was far more risky compared to using train services that he said is the “safest” choice.

“On the roads, there are many (accidents), in one day the loss of life is on average nine (lives). That’s why we and the government try to encourage as many people as possible to use the Komuter and ETS and Intercity trains because our service is safer and more comfortable,” he said, adding that there were no fatal accidents on KTMB’s railway tracks for over 20 years.

He encouraged motorcyclists to leave their vehicles at KTM Komuter stations, which he said are manned by auxiliary police and monitored with close-circuit television cameras, noting that multiple parking lots are being built at stations such as the Subang Jaya, Sungai Buloh and Kajang stations.

KTMB has also over the years introduced six-coach trains for its Komuter service and increased the number of female-only coaches to two as 70 per cent of its passengers are female, Sarbini said when touting the increased comfort levels of the train service.

On November 2, KTMB announced a fare increase from 11 sen to 15 sen per kilometre from December 2, with commuters expected to fork out up to RM7.10 more for tickets depending on the station stops.

Sarbini today insisted that KTMB was not aiming to profit from the fare increase as it is a “corporate social responsibility” service by the government, also pointing out that the company absorbs Goods and Services Tax (GST) that are imposed by its suppliers and contractors instead of passing on the tax to commuters.

He reiterated that the actual operating costs for the Komuter service — which will have a new discount category of half price for students who paid for the KTMB i-card — is 20 sen per kilometre.

According to Sarbini, he has to bring an “empty bowl” every month to the Finance Ministry to seek subsidies for the operating costs of KTMB.

He said KTMB is expected to make losses of RM55 million this year, with the government only allocating around RM60 million out of the RM200 million requested by the firm this year to cover the funding gap for all its operations.

The fare increase is expected to reduce KTMB’S funding gap for its Komuter service component from RM150 million to around RM106 million, he said, later telling reporters that this does not mean that the company will be able to turn a profit as its costs continue to increase.

He confirmed that almost all of KTMB’s train parts are sourced abroad and purchased using US dollars, which has strengthened against the Malaysian ringgit in recent months.