‘Good public transport drives a country ahead’

Virtual driver: Khairy trying out a simulator at the Rapid Bus Academy in Cheras.

CHERAS: A good public transport system is one of the hallmarks of a developed country, says Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.

“It’s about more than physical infrastructure. It’s about being clean, efficient, reliable and on time.

“And it is about planning and management because the public transport system of a country is its backbone,” he said.

“We have an urbanisation rate of 60%, so this is both a necessity and a government priority,” said Khairy.

“We need to reduce our dependence on private cars, because that chokes our cities, increases carbon footprint and household debt levels, not to mention the stress of being stuck in jams.”

Khairy said this at the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between his ministry and Prasarana Malaysia Bhd at the Rapid Bus Academy at the Cheras Selatan Rapid KL Bus Depot.

The MoU signing kicks off the inaugural Bootcamp Bus Captain programme at the academy, which will begin on May 23.

A collaboration between the ministry and Prasarana with an investment of RM3mil, the three-month programme will train youths and those from lower income households to become Rapid bus captains.

“We have invested a lot in technology and equipment; what we need now are good, highly-skilled captains,” said Tan Sri Ismail Adam, chairman of Prasarana.

Under the free programme, trainees will receive an allowance of RM900 a month.

Those who complete the programme successfully are guaranteed bus captain positions with Prasarana, which is looking to fill up to 1,000 vacancies in the long term.

“It’s not just about the generation of job opportunities but about the bigger picture – in terms of creating choices for the people,” said Khairy.

According to him, this is the 24th such MoU the ministry had signed with various industry players, all geared towards industry-matching.