AUGUST 24 — As a resident of Puchong, I was delighted that the LRT line has been extended to our township which will benefit almost half a million residents in one of the fastest developing townships in Klang Valley.
I was excited that there's finally a reliable alternative for me to go to work instead of driving.
I live in Puchong and I work in Bandar Sunway. I recently decided to switch to public transport by making use of the newly opened LRT extension project.
On my very first trip last week, I was extremely shocked that a one-way trip from Puchong LRT to Sunway via the Sunway BRT Line cost me a whooping RM9!
Yes, RM9 just for one way! This is already the cheapest fare as I used the cashless option.
Therefore for a return trip, it would cost me RM18.
This is not even inclusive of the park and ride charges at the LRT station which is RM4 per entry and also price of fuel from my house to the LRT parking.
On average, a daily commute with public transport cost me about RM 25 per day which works out to roughly RM500 monthly if I work 20 days per month.
This is completely ridiculous.
When I drive I only pay RM4 for toll daily which include both ways and I spend about RM150 per month on fuel.
Parking at my office is also free.
By driving I only spend about RM10 daily in contrast with RM25 if I use public transport.
Some of my neighbours in Puchong have also complained that the average fare from any LRT stations in Puchong to any LRT stations in Subang cost an average of RM12 just for a two way trip.
This is shocking.
I don't understand how in the world driving is cheaper than public transport?
This is an absolute disaster as RapidKL failed to realise that on a daily basis, thousands of people travel between Puchong and Subang/Bandar Sunway.
This is the reason for the massive congestion at the Sunway LDP toll which is already one of the most congested toll plazas in the country during peak hours.
The lack of study by RapidKL conducted on the public travel pattern is a great concern.
They should know that roads from Puchong to Subang are massively congested and with the LRT it could potentially reduce thousands of cars travelling on the highway daily.
But with the high LRT fare, who would want to use the LRT?
I commend RapidKL for providing an affordable LRT fare from Puchong to KL city centre which I understand that the further the journey, the cheaper the fare.
They should have introduced a more affordable fare for the LRT between Puchong and Subang.
The distance between Puchong and Subang is very short.
The fare should be set at maximum of RM3 per trip.
RapidKL discount travel cards also serves no purpose when one has to pay RM10 for every renewal.
It simply offers a discount of average 30 cents and yet they proudly said its a discount card.
The high fare is not one of the only flaws on the LRT Extension but the hassle and long commute time with the LRT or BRT is another setback that deters people from using public transport.
An average journey time with the LRT from Puchong or Kinrara to Subang will take at least one hour and commuters have to go through the hassle of changing trains at Putra Heights.
For a commuter like myself heading to Bandar Sunway, we have to change to the Sunway BRT again at the USJ7 LRT station.
With two interchanges and the long time consuming process it simply takes more than an hour for me to reach my office.
This is a nightmare since Puchong is located just right next to Subang with an average distance of less than 10km.
If I were to drive, it will roughly take me less than 10 minutes during off peak period and 30 minutes during peak period which is still way faster than using public transport.
The high fare of the LRT also does not justify with its service when it suffers frequent breakdown and delays.
Some of the coaches that arrive at the stations are packed and you will be lucky if you can even stand inside.
I was also frustrated that the application process for discount cards for students and senior citizens is another hassle.
One has to go all they way to Pasar Seni in KL to apply for the card and wait for two weeks if lucky to receive the card.
Some of my university student friends often complained about RapidKL confusing requirements when applying the student cards.
Apparently, some students in their final semester are not allowed to apply for discount cards.
Some with less than six months validity on the college ID are also not allowed to apply.
But then again, they are still students, right?
RapidKL also require them to provide an official letter from their colleges with a letterhead.
All these ridiculous requirements show that RapidKL are not interested to promote public transport.
If they are interested, they should do roadshows in colleges as these are the largest group of people that can benefit from using public transport.
They should set up more concession counters in more LRT stations too.
The way I see is the LRT extension only benefits those that don't own a car or don't drive.
The long issue of getting people to switch from driving to the LRT is clearly a silly thing to do when the LRT is more expensive, more troublesome and more inconvenient to users.
Some private companies like mine offer free parking and some even offer toll and petrol allowance.
Therefore, RapidKL must think outside the box to attract people like us that have been driving for all these while to switch to the LRT.
But RapidKL shows no interest at all.
I can't help but feel sorry for those using the newly opened LRT line to travel between Puchong and Subang.
The illogical expensive fares and long travel process with frequent breakdown of the LRT has left me traumatised and for now I will avoid using the LRT.
I somehow felt silly taking public transport.
Wasted money and time.
With billions of ringgit spent on the LRT extension, it is unfortunate that it only benefits the minority.
The majority still prefers to drive and congestion still exists in roads and highways.
Not sure what’s the purpose of building the LRT extension when people can't afford to use it.
At the end of the day, it's simply so much cheaper to drive and way more comfortable than using the LRT.
* This is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online.
